We read lots about the significance of online retailing in Australia but most of it is from marketing organisations with a vested interest so it is interesting to get a retailers perspective.
ASOS, the UK based online clothing giant, has declared Australia a “dark horse”. Two years ago we were the 7th largest market outside the UK, now we are their largest. They have recently opened a Sydney store so that returns for goods bought online don’t have to incur international freight charges. Apparently Australia is returning sales gross that the whole company earned in 2007.
To get things into perspective, here are some facts on ASOS –
- 50,000 clothing lines
- 850 brands including its home brand which makes up almost 50 per cent of the stock
- Introduces 1,500 new lines each week
- Ships to 196 countries across seven sites
- They sell enough dresses to cloth Paraguay
- The size of their UK warehouse can fit five MCGs
Pretty impressive stuff!