How online shoppers are bagging bargains

Source: Sun-Herald newspaper, June 15 2008

Apparently shoppers are increasing their use of online shopping sites, particularly from overseas, instead of shopping locally at physical Australian shops.

In their research, Sun-Herald compared the price from Myer and David Jones against several overseas online shops, and found large savings, such as Gucci Envy, which was $105 locally, but could be found for $42.10 online.

The main reason for the significant increase is attributed to  the strong performance of the Australian dollar, although this can often be offset by shipping and handling costs.

The executive director of the Australian Retailers Association said that the apparel sector had been one of the worst hit. Growth had already slowed to less than 4 per cent this year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The interesting thing in the comparisons used in the article, were that the perfume cost quoted did not include shipping. The store used, sasa.com, only has free shipping for purchases over $75.

Another interesting thing is the feedback on the actual store.  If you search Google for "sasa.com reviews" there are a fair number of non-positive reviews on the store, mostly based around customer service.

It does highlight the importance that reputation has, for online shopping sites.