Shoppers log on in hunt for top deals

ONLINE shopping in Townsville is helping North Queensland become one of the top growth locations in the state.

Australia Post statistics show Townsville and regional centres Bowen, and Port Douglas were increasingly turning to the internet to buy their products.

In Townsville, Nelly Bay on Magnetic Island is a hot spot for online shopping with purchases up nearly 25 per cent in 2016.

“They are looking online for variety and a fair price for their purchases,” authors of Inside Australian Online Shopping 2017 eCommerce industry paper wrote.

“Growth in these regions was above 25 per cent yearon- year.”

The growth rate of online shopping was highest in Port Douglas, increasing by a third.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show there was an increase in online shopping in Townsville in the past two months.

Senior lecturer in advertising, marketing and PR Dr Edwina Luck from the Queensland University of Technology said the number of people shopping online had been increasing for the past 15 years.

“Especially at this time of year – at Christmas – people are ordering online.

“There was also a spike in the past two weeks due to the Black Friday sales event.

“I hope that consumers will shop locally, otherwise they could be left without a choice.”

Dr Luck said local businesses needed to decide carefully before rushing to create an online platform to compete with internetbased companies. She said it was not too late for local businesses to grab a share of the online market.