Online shopping leads to increased electronics sales

Australians are discovering the convenience of online shopping - which is driving up the sales of consumer electronics.

While figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show only a 0.2 percent month-over-month increase in overall spending, Woolworths' full-year sales report showed consumer electronics turnover grew by 3.4 percent over the past year. Additionally, electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi reported that its profits jumped 26 percent, according to the Australian.

The availability of new uses for technology - such as mobile commerce for shopping and banking - makes devices like mobile phones and computers more valuable and desirable than ever before, which has impacted both the sales of electronics and other merchandise online.

"With an increase in the level of sophisticated technology, there needs to be a very compelling reason for customers to physically visit a store,'' UK futurologist Ian Pearson told the Australian.

Research from Forrester indicates that Australians are currently spending more than $23 billion online every year - and that figure could be as high as $32 billion by 2012.