Takeout Food Helps Drive Ecommerce Growth in Australia

Data from National Australia Bank (NAB) shows retail ecommerce sales in Australia climbed 10.4% in 2016, bolstered by big gains in takeout food sales, homewares and appliances, and media. 

Overall retail ecommerce sales in Australia totaled AU$21.65 billion ($16.09 billion) last year, according to NAB. Homewares made up the largest portion of overall sales, accounting for nearly one in five dollars spent online. 

NAB said sales of homewares and appliances increased 14.5%, while media sales jumped 20.5%. 

The largest single gain was for takeout food, which soared 34.0% in 2016. Sales in that category now make up 6.4% of all ecommerce in Australia, according to NAB. 

The increasing use of the internet to buy takeout food can be seen in a June 2016 survey of digital buyers in Australia by Sensis. More than one-third (36%) of respondents said they had purchased takeout food online in the past 12 months.