WHILE online shopping is nothing new, recent months have seen a big change in its usage, which has the potential to bring benefits to regional retailers.
Widespread lockdowns spurred businesses and consumers to adapt quickly by moving to eCommerce options, with PayPal Australia consumer shopping expert Danielle Grant saying these changes were here to stay.
"In 2020, we reached a tipping point where digital payments have now become an essential service, rather than just a nice-to-have," she said.
"While some customers will return to shopping in-store, new online habits have become embedded and it is unlikely that eCommerce will ever return to pre-pandemic levels."
Ms Grant said it was "hard to overstate" the acceleration in online shopping, with more than 2 million Australians shopping online for the first time.
Australia Post data shows a significant share of this demand is coming from regional areas, with a 46 per cent year-on-year lift in online shopping in October, and a 34pc increase in new online shoppers from the regions.
This shift to shopping online, including an expected 90pc increase in Christmas shopping done digitally this year, could open up markets for regional businesses.
"The pandemic has brought new consumers online for the first time and many are eager to buy local products and support Aussie businesses," Ms Grant said.
"The recently-launched Buy From The Bush Marketplace is just one example of how eCommerce can help merchants expand their customer base, and help customers invest in the future of rural communities."
Ms Grant said more than 400 rural businesses have signed up to the BFTB Marketplace, which helps increase their reach and customer base.
Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast's business and workforce manager Racheal Ashman said a huge focus in the past year had been helping businesses in the region improve their online presence.
While there were a number of businesses with "quite good eCommerce set ups", she said there were others that needed to set up a social media presence to enable communication with clients.
The RDA Limestone Coast also partnered with a number of other organisations in Mount Gambier for a Support Local campaign.
"It's not just supporting local bricks and mortar businesses, but local online stores as well," she said.
Ms Ashman said people in regional areas had often looked to mail order or online shopping to access items they might not be able to buy locally, but there were opportunities for regional businesses to capture this audience as well.
She said businesses looking to improve their online skills should contact their local RDAs.
One sector that had to evolve quickly was the wine industry, after cellar doors were closed early in the year.
Coonawarra winery Koonara had been building its online platform for some time, but owner Nicole Reschke said its usage jumped in recent months.
"This year we've seen our online sales accelerate and people's habits changing to an online shopping scene," she said.
"It's great to see people buying direct from the producers."
Ms Rechske said while having people come and visit in person was still a key focus, having a good online platform had opened up their products to interstate buyers, which then flowed through the local economy.
She said there had been good recent sales as people stocked up for Christmas or bought wine as gifts.
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