Australians are used to ordering items online: clothes, gadgets and bulky items for everyday use. Usually bigger, more thought-out purchases.
Smaller purchases, such as your regular grocery shop, are less likely to be completed online. The technology is available and used by a small number of Aussie households regularly. There is a hope in the industry that it may catch on.
A finding published in Roy Morgan Research found Australians make 2.5 trips per week to buy groceries.
In 2014, 26% of Australian shoppers stated they may consider shopping for groceries on the internet sometime in the future. At the time, only 3 per cent had done so.
Australians shopping for groceries using the internet has increased by 14% from 2011 – a small increase.
The research highlights the slow adoption of this form of grocery shopping and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’re reluctant to give up our weekly shop, and also trust someone else with choosing our produce.
With the launch of Aussie Farmers Direct — an online platform featuring what you can expect from the supermarket stocks — the rate of Australians doing their shopping online could increase. Described as a “full supermarket shop”, Aussie Farmers Direct aims to compete with brands such as Coles and Woolworths. Their launch has been met with positive figures, with almost 140,000 customers saying they have shopped online with Aussie Farmers Direct.
Online grocery shoppers: consumers who bought groceries over a 4 week period
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), October 2015-September 2016, n=11,984. NB: Aussie Farmers Direct measured since July 2016
With the availability of the internet via the expansion of the nbn® footprint and gradual adoption of online grocery shopping, the industry is seen to improve in percentage thanks to brands propping up supermarkets online.