$143 Billion Worth of Orders – The Time is Now for Online Retail!

With Australian businesses receiving $143 billion dollars worth of internet orders in 2009-10 – the time is now for local retailers to get online.

The Online Retailer Conference and Expo, which returns to the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre on 26-29 September 2011, will offer Australian retailers unparalleled insights and learning, including keynotes from world-renowned retail brands, such as Walmart, ASOS and Tesco.com. They will be joined by a line-up of Australian e-tailing leaders, including DealsDirect’s Paul Greenberg and Mark Rowland from StyleTread.

Online Retailer Event Director Mark Harvey said that recent debate around lowering the GST-threshold on international purchases has only highlighted the need for Australian retailers to improve their online offering and take advantage of global retailing opportunities.

According to ComScore, in 2010 Australian consumers outpaced the global population and visited retail sites more frequently than those in the UK and US markets – illustrating the demand for local retailers to up the ante online or risk getting left behind.

“As the first major business forum for the internet retailing and e-commerce industry in Australia, the phenomenal response we have received to Online Retailer, clearly indicates that local retailers have a thirst for knowledge and understand the importance of the online channel for the long-term sustainability of their businesses,” Harvey said.

Though the Australian online retail market is touted to be three years behind the UK and US markets, this allows local e-tailers significant opportunities to learn from their counterparts and expand not only locally, but also internationally.

“With a plethora of the larger brands, such as Myer, David Jones, Target, Big W and Westfield recently coming online, Australian e-commerce is definitely beginning to take shape. Online Retailer aims to ensure that it remains cutting edge and the best in breed globally,” Harvey commented.

Set over four days and including strategic workshops, learning sessions, peer-to-peer roundtables, and networking events, the conference offers retail executives’ unique learning opportunities and the chance to leverage the collective knowledge of the e-retailing community.

The conference agenda is aimed at covering key existing and emerging topics within online retail, such as: cross-channel optimisation, online merchandising, site design and optimisation, mobile commerce, social commerce, search and email marketing, customer experience and e-commerce technology.

The Expo Hall will showcase 120 specialty exhibitors, demonstrating the latest e-commerce technology and e-retailing solutions, and provide retailers with a venue to compare, evaluate and discuss their needs with leading e-commerce and digital marketing vendors.

Also returning are the Online Retail Industry Awards (ORIA), the only awards in Australasia to specifically recognise and reward excellence in e-commerce retailing, which are to be held in conjunction with the Online Retailer Conference and Expo. Nominations are now open for the awards on the ORIA website, with winners to be announced at an Award Gala Presentation on Tuesday, 27 September 2011.

With online retail sales projected to grow to $33.3 billion by 2015 and Australian consumers becoming ever savvier, the Online Retailer Expo and Conference 2011 will escalate the knowledge and expertise within the local retail industry.

Event details:

The Online Retailer Expo and Conference 2011 will be held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, from 26 to 29 September, 2011. For more information visit the Online Retailer Conference and E-Commerce Expo website.

^{i ABS, ‘Summary of IT Use and Innovation in Australian Businesses 2009-10’, 23 June 2011
ii ComScore, ‘State of the Internet – Australia’, February 2011
iii ComScore, ‘State of the Internet – Australia’, February 2011
iv Forrester Research, Australian Online Retail Forecast, 2010 to 2015, 28 January 2011}