the need for tz packaged asset delivery

http://www.smh.com.au/business/spending-via-the-internet-to-surpass-37b-by-2013-20111017-1ltfv.html

Spending via the internet to surpass $37b by 2013
Eli Greenblat
October 18, 2011

THE love affair with online shopping is heating up - a report forecasts expenditure will reach $37.7 billion by 2013, a rise of more than $7 billion on the turnover in 2010.

The boom in online shopping is expected to add to the pressure on traditional retailers.

The online payment provider PayPal's report, Secure Insight: Changing the Way we Pay, developed with Forrester Research, Nielsen and the Australian Centre for Retail Studies, says online commerce is undergoing substantial change, as merchants and consumers harness new technologies to connect in new ways.

Online commerce is expected to reach $30.2 billion by the end of this year, and to grow 12.2 per cent next year, the report says.

''With 97 per cent of Australian internet users now having shopped online, retailers have woken up to the online opportunity and plan to invest heavily in their online strategies over the next year,'' it says.

''Despite a strong Australian dollar, domestic retail continues to account for three-quarters (73 per cent) of online consumption in Australia, yet with 63 per cent of Australians having shopped overseas in the last year, there are opportunities for Australian retailers to increase market share.''

Traditional retailers have increasingly felt threatened by online competitors, especially in the clothing and merchandise sector. Several overseas fashion brands have set up websites to cater to shoppers and offer competitive delivery terms.

Myer announced recently it would spend $9 million on its website and relaunch the retail platform. Other local retailers have also pledged to improve their online sites.

But the managing director of PayPal Australia, Frerk-Malte Feller, says online commerce is no longer just about having a website.

He said more changes have taken place in the last year than the past 15 in the way people shop and pay.

''Consumers are connecting through local, digital, social and mobile channels that add relevance and convenience to their lives,'' he said.