HAS the pandemic changed the way you shop?

Have you increased your online shopping?

Advertise with News of The Area today.
It’s worth it for your business.
Message us.
Phone us – (02) 4981 8882.
Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au

You are not the only one.

Australia Post reports that lockdowns in NSW are creating an increase in online shopping across the state.

New year on year data shows almost four million households have bought something online in the last fortnight – up six per cent when compared to last year.

In the same two weeks, New South Wales accounted for over a third (35.1 per cent) of all online purchases nationally and Queensland almost a fifth.

Western Australia and the Northern Territory have also grown strongly, up 20.3 and 17.2 percent respectively.

In the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area (LGA) online shopping growth for the 12 months to 30 June 2021 is 29.3%, slightly below the national average of 31.8%.

The online shopping increase saw Woolgoolga online shoppers leading the increase locally with purchases up by 31.6%, followed by Coffs Harbour at 29 percent and Toormina at 27.7 percent.

The top three online shopping categories for the Coffs LGA is Specialty Food and Liquor at 35.2%, Home and Garden at 34.2% and Variety Stores at 27.8%

Australia Post General Manager Parcel and Express services Ben Franzi said, “With this latest wave of the pandemic affecting different areas of the country, we’ve seen different growth patterns as many Australians experienced tight public health restrictions for the first time.

“The growth in online shopping in areas experiencing COVID-19 restrictions was similar to the trends seen in the midst of the pandemic last year,” he said.

“We know that when restrictions tighten people buy more online.

“In fact, during lockdowns online purchase growth almost doubles when compared to non-lockdown periods according to our data,” he said.

“We’ve worked incredibly hard over the last year to increase our capacity, and our posties and drivers are working tirelessly to deliver parcels to our customers every working day, while our Post Offices remain open to provide access to essential services and support communities.

“To keep track of their deliveries I encourage all of our customers to download the Australia Post Mobile App and take advantage of the great collect and return options we have available, including the more than 500 free 24/7 Parcel lockers we have across the country,” Mr Franzi concluded.

 

By Sandra MOON