Learning from international markets

The stats are in! eCommerce in Australia is strong and there's money to be spent.

With a GDP per capita of $88 thousand, Australians have significant purchasing power and disposable income, and eCommerce market is expected to surpass $24bn this year.

The uptake of digital payment solutions around the world, with countries in Europe and Asia moving swiftly towards a much more mobile centric and unified payment system, offers valuable insights into what’s next for Australia’s payment landscape. What can we expect to see next and what lessons can we learn from countries who have been there, doing that? Let’s take a look.

How do Australians spend?

Business activity

2.24 Million businesses are actively trading online

Cash & contactless

45% carry cash for emergency transactions

19% of cash payments account for merchants not accepting alternative payment methods

Top 3 growth industries

1. Baby & Nursery
2. Travel
3. Health & Beauty

EFTPOS terminals

Have doubled in the last 10 years

75% of Australians with cards use ‘Tap & Go’

Online shopping habits

67% of Australians shop online

86% of online shoppers have completed a cross border purchase

Australia's payments landscape:

1. Highly developed for online and mobile
2. Ready to adapt to alternative payment types
3. Accessible to international retailers
4. Rapidly changing with significant payment innovation

Growth in online spending outperformed bricks-and-mortar retail by 6.9% last year and traditional retail is still a huge industry in Australia, bringing in $261 billion, but: more than 50% of purchases are now influenced by digital information.

• 39% of retailers use instore signage to convert customers to digital
• 86% of our transactions are on credit and debit card
• 72% of consumers use mobile devices for payments

Australia’s top alternative payment methods

• PayPal
• Bpay
• VISA checkout

2020 outlook

This data lends itself to three main predictions for the Australian payments landscape.

The first is the decline of the credit card. The second is the rise of the eWallet and the third is that we’ll begin to see businesses offer their customers a much more integrated payments experience.

International markets:

The Netherlands

• 94% are actively online
• Top payment methods: Bank transfer (63%), Credit card (10%) and the eWallet (7%)
• Alternative payment methods: iDeal, Bank transfer and PayPal

Closer look: iDEAL is the preferred payment method for: ecommerce, ticketing, invoicing, charity donations and various top-ups. In 2015, iDEAL was used to pay 222 million times with an average value of little over EUR $81 per transaction. Why is iDeal so popular?

It's integrated in the online banking portal

It reaches over 90% of Dutch individuals.

Payments can settle into any IBAN bank account in Europe

The United States

• 76% are actively online
• Top payment methods: Credit card (26%), eWallet (23%), debit card (16%)
• Alternative payment methods: Visa Checkout, Bank transfer, PayPal

China

• 56% are actively online
• Top payment methods: eWallet (62%), credit card (10%), bank transfer (8%)
• Alternative payment methods: AliPay, WeChat, Bank transfer

Japan

• 95% are actively online
• Top payment methods: credit card (56%), PostPay (19%), Bank transfer (13%)
• Alternative payment methods: Digital Garage, Bank transfer, PayPal

Denmark

• 99% are actively online
• Top payment methods: eWallet (26%), debit card (25%), credit card (19%)
• Alternative payment methods: Klarna, Bank transfer, MobilePay

How Can Australian Businesses Leverage Insights from Global Markets?

• Bank integration is key to digital wallet reach.
• 80% leading Nordic retailers have mobile optimised websites
• 43% of Australian businesses are mobile optimised

In order to leverage customers over multiple channels, Australian businesses should have flexible mCommerce solutions, including mobile SDK and in-app capability.

At Bambora, we offer our customers leading mobile payment solutions that capture channel hopper shoppers while they’re on the go.

We also know that omnichannel payment strategies can crack high eCommerce markets, with consumers who shop over multiple channels spending up to 300% more than a single channel shopper.

Keen to find out more about optimising your business’ mobile channels or leveraging international market trends? Get in touch with the Bambora team today.