Online spending in April 2013 alone was up 23 per cent from the same month one year ago, compared to only 12 per cent in March however still highlighting that online retail sales have continued to grow at a vastly stronger rate than the traditional bricks and mortar retail sector. To a business such as mine who is relying 99 per cent on the online shopper this is great news.
This alone proves to me that the Australian Consumer is no longer feeling the need to touch and feel as much as what our parents and grandparents did!
Current trends show that the dominant larger sectors, such as department stores and homewares and appliances, already comprise more than half of all online retail spending but they are being closely followed by boutique fashion stores and online gaming stores.
The power of social media today can play a large role in the marketing of an online retailer which is a tool that I used in the beginning not to market but to commence and sell via for Princess Fashions and Accessories in 2011.
I saw a real need in the market place within the Fiji Islands for fashionable and affordable ladies clothing, footwear and accessories. Even though Fiji is seen by many people overseas predominantly as a holiday doestination with relatively poorer economic circumstances, from a local viewpoint I could see that there were so many ladies working within the capital city alone who had an expendable income and wanted to purchase on trend fashionable items. As any good business person does I used this insight to my advantage and tested the waters by purchasing retail items which had been heavily reduced or on sale here in Sydney, sent them over to Fiji to my sister in law and she sold them in local currency at a small profit to friends and family. We did this for a couple of months whilst I put out feelers here in Sydney with wholesalers and wholesale agencies and then we decided to take the plunge and register our business in both countries. Up until February this year we had only been retailing via our Facebook page in Fiji only and when we hit 20,000 likers for our page I decided that I needed to begin thinking about commencing Princess Fashions and Accessories here in Sydney also.
Now based online we buy, warehouse and ship to Fiji from Sydney and sell world wide via our online store. As a new business with no shop front I have found that I am using as many social media outlets as I can and heavily reply on Facebook as my one of my main social media pages followed by Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
I believe to be a successful online retailer you must have a firm but flexible returns policy, have your key customer service area's be responsive quickly via email, offer as many merchant payment methods as possible, have a fast website with clear, vibrant images that can be viewed from many angles and of course market your range accordingly.
With online retailers such as the Iconic, Boohoo.com, Style Tread and Asos breaking retail records across the globe and setting the way for smaller business, coupled with the everyday fast paced hectic lifestyles that people lead today, I firmly believe that online retail is well on it's way and the general consumer is feeling the need less and less to touch and feel.
This alone proves to me that the Australian Consumer is no longer feeling the need to touch and feel as much as what our parents and grandparents did!
Current trends show that the dominant larger sectors, such as department stores and homewares and appliances, already comprise more than half of all online retail spending but they are being closely followed by boutique fashion stores and online gaming stores.
The power of social media today can play a large role in the marketing of an online retailer which is a tool that I used in the beginning not to market but to commence and sell via for Princess Fashions and Accessories in 2011.
I saw a real need in the market place within the Fiji Islands for fashionable and affordable ladies clothing, footwear and accessories. Even though Fiji is seen by many people overseas predominantly as a holiday doestination with relatively poorer economic circumstances, from a local viewpoint I could see that there were so many ladies working within the capital city alone who had an expendable income and wanted to purchase on trend fashionable items. As any good business person does I used this insight to my advantage and tested the waters by purchasing retail items which had been heavily reduced or on sale here in Sydney, sent them over to Fiji to my sister in law and she sold them in local currency at a small profit to friends and family. We did this for a couple of months whilst I put out feelers here in Sydney with wholesalers and wholesale agencies and then we decided to take the plunge and register our business in both countries. Up until February this year we had only been retailing via our Facebook page in Fiji only and when we hit 20,000 likers for our page I decided that I needed to begin thinking about commencing Princess Fashions and Accessories here in Sydney also.
Now based online we buy, warehouse and ship to Fiji from Sydney and sell world wide via our online store. As a new business with no shop front I have found that I am using as many social media outlets as I can and heavily reply on Facebook as my one of my main social media pages followed by Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
I believe to be a successful online retailer you must have a firm but flexible returns policy, have your key customer service area's be responsive quickly via email, offer as many merchant payment methods as possible, have a fast website with clear, vibrant images that can be viewed from many angles and of course market your range accordingly.
With online retailers such as the Iconic, Boohoo.com, Style Tread and Asos breaking retail records across the globe and setting the way for smaller business, coupled with the everyday fast paced hectic lifestyles that people lead today, I firmly believe that online retail is well on it's way and the general consumer is feeling the need less and less to touch and feel.
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