A MAIN street retailer and the city’s independent business group have called on the community to rally behind regional businesses following a 24pc overall jump in online shopping in Mount Gambier.
Figures released by Australia Post show Mount Gambier residents were “avid” online shoppers with department store shopping trends sky-rocketing by nearly 37pc last year.
In a surprising statistic, the small seaside town of Port MacDonnell topped the national list for fashion online purchases with residents on average purchasing 11 items each year.
It is believed this upward swing in online shopping is a contributing factor to the number of empty shops along Commercial Street in Mount Gambier.
Collins Booksellers Mount Gambier owner Julie Mattinson said online shopping was a “big worry” for bricks and mortar retailers.
“People will lose their jobs and businesses will close because of online shopping – that is the reality,” Ms Mattinson told The Border Watch yesterday.
“We already have a lot of empty shops in Mount Gambier.”
She said regional businesses employed people and the money stayed within Mount Gambier.
While supporting online purchases if products were not available in Mount Gambier, she said people should consider where they were spending their money.
“As a business owner, I know how hard it is to run a business,” Ms Mattinson said.
“If we do not have local businesses, then there will be nowhere for kids to get a job or even undertake work experience.”
Fashion retailer Harper and Co manager Stacy Fennell said online sales were an important part of the business.
“But it is still important to have your bricks and mortar store given certain people like to touch and try on the item,” Ms Fennell said.
“We need to keep the town running by having shops and employing people, but online shopping is a way of the world, particularly with the younger generation.”
Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce president Lynette Martin said small business was the largest employer group in Mount Gambier.
“Every cent spent in Mount Gambier goes around and benefits the community,” Ms Martin said.
“If we do not support small businesses – across all sectors – we will see closures and unemployment figures rise.
“It would be wonderful to see the community rally together to support small businesses so we can reverse this online shopping trend.”
Australia Post Parcels and Express Services general manager Ben Franzi said the online shopping trends in the Mount Gambier and Millicent areas continued to climb.
“Mount Gambier and Millicent residents are avid online shoppers, with purchases rising 24.2pc and 26.3pc respectively.
“Locals really enjoyed shopping from department stores, such as Kogan and Catch, with purchases rising 36.8pc in Mount Gambier and 38.7pc in Millicent.
“Fashion was also a popular category, with purchases increasing 17.8pc in Mount Gambier and 19.3pc in Millicent.
“Locals were also big buyers of health and beauty items, with Mount Gambier residents buying 14.7pc more goods in that category than the previous year, while Millicent residents purchased 20.1pc more health and beauty items.
“The main reason people shop online is for price, range and convenience. Online shopping gives people access to retailers all over Australia and beyond and the choice to shop at a time that suits their needs.”
Figures also show Australian households received an average of 3.2 parcels of fashion last year.
