Mandurah’s e-shopping tops state

On a national level, Mandurah was the fifth-largest city for online shopping, after Point Cook, Toowoomba, Liverpool and Mackay.

The study found that Western Australians bought mostly health and beauty items online, growing by more than 50 per cent in the last 12 months.

Health and beauty purchases were up 40.3 per cent year-on-year in Western Australia.

In particular, Pinjarra underwent a 68.8 per cent growth in online health and beauty purchases in the last year.

These figures for Mandurah and Pinjarra fit with the study’s findings about the drivers of online shopping, which included population, demographic changes, proximity and connectivity.

They found there was a clear relationship between high-density populations and higher rates of online shopping.

“So wherever we see a new housing development, a re-zoning, an influx of young families, or a new economic initiative… we’re likely to see online shopping growth as well,” the study read.

Younger Australians and families were also found to be more likely to shop online, so areas with a greater number of these groups ranked highly.

They also found that people further away from quality retail outlets were more likely to buy online.

“It’s why some regional areas, which don’t enjoy the range of shopping options of their metropolitan cousins, are some of the biggest buyers of online goods on a per-household basis,” the study read.

Lastly, internet connectivity was an important factor, because the better a buyer’s digital access, the easier it becomes to make purchases online.

So as an area of population growth, with NBN in most areas, many young families, and somewhat limited retail options, it should come as no surprise that Mandurah residents are turning to the net to get their shopping fix.