Coles has become the first supermarket anywhere to sell directly on eBay.
The Australian supermarket giant’s shopfront with the e-commerce behometh launched on Wednesday with a range of more than 4,000 products across categories including fresh food, personal care and household goods.
While Coles already offers online shopping through its own website, it hopes to expand digital sales via eBay Australia, which boasts more than 11 million visits each month.
eBay has previously partnered with a Korean grocery retailer but only through a local subsidiary.
“We are like the Westfield of online: Coles makes sure they are in every Westfield, so they’re making sure they are in the Westfield of online,” Australia and New Zealand eBay managing director Tim MacKinnon said.
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eBay says more than 40,000 Australian retailers including Myer, The Good Guys and Target are trading on its site, but that only three per cent of people in Australia buy groceries online.
“We’ve been selling online grocery vouchers for the last couple of years, and we see grocery as a space that is growing fast in Australia,” Mr MacKinnon said.
“It is under-penetrated in the Australian market.”
Mr MacKinnon said partnering with Australian retailers helps their growth and means consumers can shop without the need for multiple browser tabs.
Amazon last year set up with hundreds of local and international brands to offer food and grocery staples on its Australian site.
Coles shares at 1318 AEDT were down 0.18 per cent to $11.35.
