Australians are eager Web shoppers, and this trend is on the rise. So much so that traditional stores are starting to create virtual shops.

The approval for shopping on the internet isn’t just an urban legend. A few studies prove that Australian web shopping is experiencing a sharpened expansion, driven partially by the attractive exchange rate against the US buck, but generally by convenience and price. It is reported that 78% of Australians shop online constantly, with around 25% making a purchase of services or products least once per week. The average monthly spend is $206, with the hottest sites being eBay, Amazon, Gumtree and Woolworths.

The e-commerce explosion isn’t just taking place among children. A communication by Swinburne Varsity of Technology’s centre of excellence for creative industries and invention shows that monthly spend is on the rise among the 50-64 years age grouping too. With forecasts showing that ebusiness down under is expected to snatch another 5% of the market share, growing to the levels experienced in the US and UK, many standard stores are looking seriously at creating a web retail outlet.

The hard conditions being experienced by physical stores in Australia is prompting many of them to pursue a double-edged strategy to increase sales: keeping the bricks-and-mortar stores, while opening e-commerce operations to capture share of the market from the crowds of online bargain hunters, says Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the Australian Outlets Association.

The ease of net shopping is what makes it so attractive: linking your favorite online account to your smartphone permits you to shop anywhere, anytime. For some, it’s impulsive buying on the smartphone after having had two drinks, while for many , it’s when they get home from work that they spend their precious incomes on the web. It’s hard to assess, but based primarily on traffic patterns on their internet sites, plenty of ebusiness sites are adjusting their promotions to top web traffic hours. According to eBay Vice Chairman Steve Yankovich, the site’s most busy time is from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm and ecommerce professionals, ChannelAdvisor, say that nighttime shopping is on the increase, with patrons placing orders later and later on.

And it is not only retail shops who are riding the ebusiness wave: Australia Post is revamping its services to meet the increased demand in parcel delivery. In an interview given to The Australian, David Mortimer, boss of Australia Post, claimed that 70% of Australia Post’s parcel business is generated by web shopping.

Mr. Zimmerman added though, that many Australians look for bargains on the internet and then go out to a physical store to make their purchases, usually because they’d like to experience quality customer service.

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