Retail in Asia

In Trends

More competition from online shopping in Australia

Traditional bricks and mortar retailers will face further pressure from web-based competitors if overseas experience is any guide, Savills Australia says.

The online retailing juggernaut was still relatively small in Australia, snatching less than 7 percent of traditional retail sales compared with double the volume in the UK (13.5 percent) and 70 percent more in the US (11.6 percent), Savills researcher Glenn Lampard said.

"Online spending has slowed from its peak of circa 30 percent annual growth but it is still growing strongly and, in time, we expect to see that growth mirror the overseas experience and that is going to impact [on] traditional retailers without a web presence," Mr Lampard said.