Last week, we asked our readers what excited them most about the launch of Amazon shopping in Australia. The choices were: Cheaper prices, more variety, faster shipping and forcing improvements to local retail. The results are now in, and the ranking might surprise you – especially if you work in retail.
For those who haven’t been keeping up with the news, Amazon has confirmed it will be bringing its online shopping platform to Australia. The company is building a 24,000 square metre fulfilment centre in Melbourne which will house “hundreds of thousands” of products.
“We will be focusing on offering our Australian customers low prices on a great selection of products,” Amazon said in a statement.
“This is just the start,” it added, somewhat ominously for its rivals.
This has understandably spooked traditional retailers, some of whom have begun preemptively slashing prices in a bid to compete with Amazon’s local launch. For its part, Amazon has promised to offer local businesses the ability to sell their products through the Amazon Marketplace – if they’re willing to give Amazon a cut, of course.
Meanwhile, various analysts are claiming that cheap prices are not what retailers should be focusing on. Instead, the biggest threat will come from Amazon’s fast and reliable delivery network.
Others claim it all comes down to a wider product selection. (i.e. – Why choose from a traditional retailer’s limited offerings when thousands of extra products are just a mouse click away?)
It seems everyone has a different opinion on precisely how Amazon will sway Aussie customers away from traditional retail. So we went and asked our readers. Here are the results.
[Note: While we don’t share internal poll data publicly, I can confirm the poll below received thousands of votes; enough to be an accurate representation of what online shoppers are thinking.]
What most surprised us about the above results is the high placement of forced improvements to local retail. It seems a lot of you are more interested in the flow-on benefits that Amazon’s launch will bring, rather than the shopping platform itself. For local retailers, this can only be seen as good news. (Provided they are willing to adapt, that is.)
Interestingly, faster shipping ranked dead last. To us, this suggests industry analysts might be overthinking the importance Australian consumers place on fast delivery.
As you’d expect, cheaper prices is the #1 reason Aussies are excited about Amazon. It will be very interesting to see how Amazon’s pricing strategy compares to other markets when it launches Down Under. If it gets too greedy on the ‘Australia tax’ front, we could be getting a damp squib in place of an industry disruptor. Time will tell.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/08/amazons-australian-launch-everything-we-know-so-far/” thumb=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/07/Amazon-1-410×231.jpg” title=”Amazon’s Australian Launch: Everything We Know So Far” excerpt=”Amazon is finally launching a shopping service in Australia – which means you will soon be able to buy everything from food to electronics without paying those exorbitant international shipping fees. Here’s everything we know about Amazon’s arrival Down Under so far.”]
Comments
2 responses to “Amazon Poll Results: There’s Still Hope For Aussie Retail”
Not solely faster shipping, but cheaper shipping.
When I buy from Amazon, firstly it’s usually because it’s much much cheaper than buying locally. However then shipping costs for Amazon supplied products is usually pretty low as well, and delivered within a decent timeframe (from USA to Aus).
On the flip side, I may find a decent deal in Australia, but then find the shipping costs are ridiculous, usually killing the sale.
If Amazon is going to to truly rule here, they are going to have to offer fast and cheap shipping on top of well priced products.
Hear It, Read It, “Amazon Australia will create thousands of jobs.”
No ! ….. They will NOT.
Buy online, cheaper prices, cheaper shipping, which will force closure of many small retail chain stores and family businesses.
A great increase in unemployment, what ! … “Oh, they can get a job with Amazon.”
‘Advance Australia Where’ is the new National Anthem no advancing when we deal with American companies supplying goods made everywhere and anywhere except Australia and our unemployment figures increase, continually.
Disloyal Australians buy cheap, imported, short-life goods, Australian On-line Only Stores, disloyalty, driving imported vehicles and a flag flying on Australia Day, flags, cheap, made anywhere and everywhere, except Australia, total disloyal Australians, loyal to their god, MONEY !!
I just want RELIABLE shipping. A package just delivered to me via Australia Post from a local seller here in Melbourne went to NSW then back to Melbourne, then to South Australia, then back to Melbourne, then finally to me in suburban Melbourne