Matt Bullock
26 January 2012
John Donahoe, global CEO at eBay, recently told Western Australia Today that many large U.S. retailers are trying to reach Australian consumers online by offering their products on eBay. Rather than establishing operations in Australia, U.S. retailers are channeling their products through eBay to tap a market interested in online shopping.
For example, Macy's launched an eBay Australia store as a distribution channel to reach Aussie consumers, without having to allocate significant resources. According to an eBay Australia spokesperson quoted by the source, eBay invests in core technology and marketing, allowing retail partners to focus on other operations.
In response to the growing competition from overseas retailers, many Aussie brands are creating online stores. Dene Rogers, managing director of Target, recently told the Herald Sun that one of the main focuses of the retailer is to expand its offerings online, and develop mobile phone and tablet applications to be launched in the first half of 2012.
This year, Rogers also plans to enable Target shoppers in Australia to order items online and collect them in-store without paying for shipping.
"When people buy online, knowing they are able to return the product is critical and many of our competitors don't do returns as well as we do," Rogers said.
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