SYDNEY, AAP – Melbourne postcodes have dominated a list of the suburbs where the most online shopping is delivered across Australia.
Five Melbourne suburbs – Point Cook, Cranbourne, Hoppers Crossing, Craigieburn and Doreen – did the greatest amount of online shopping by purchase volume last year, according to Australia Post data.
People in these suburbs ordered more than double the amount of goods online than they did in 2019, as Victorians endured months of coronavirus restrictions limiting their visits to shops and outdoor activities.
Point Cook, home to an air force base, topped the list for the sixth consecutive year.
The suburbs which rounded out the top 10 did not double their online ordering, but had increases of up to 76 per cent.
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The regional town of Toowoomba in Queensland was sixth, and was followed by the Sydney suburbs of Liverpool and Rouse Hill.
Regional centres Ballarat, in Victoria, and Gosford, in NSW, were ninth and tenth respectively.
The most popular items ordered online were food and drink, and home and garden products.
Australia Post general manager parcel and express services Ben Franzi said the increased activity in online shopping had continued this year.
Online purchases were being made from about five million homes, on a monthly basis, which was 1.1 million more homes than the average for 2019.
Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra said while retailers were adjusting to the surge in online shopping, many were having a tough time.
Australia’s borders remained closed, while the end of the JobKeeper wage subsidy on Sunday could mean thousands of workers lose their jobs, he said.
At the other end of the scale, many large retailers listed on the Australian stock exchange have reported soaring online sales since the pandemic began.
Premier Investments, which owns shops including Peter Alexander and Just Jeans, last week reported an 88 per cent lift in first-half profit, helped by online sales.
Home furnishings group Adairs, furniture retailer Nick Scali and BCF owner Super Retail Group are repaying JobKeeper subsidies following sizeable profits.
