As of 2021, Australia is officially one of the world’s top eCommerce markets. According to Euromonitor International, Australia is ranked the 4th most attractive online consumer market in the world, just behind South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This is mostly thanks to Australians’ immense love for video on demand (VOD) entertainment, online shopping, and digital payments—a love which has only grown since the pandemic.

GlobalData reports that in 2020 alone, Australians generated over AUD $54 billion worth of eCommerce sales—a year-on-year growth rate of 16.8%. That figure is expected to jump 13.4% to over AUD $60 billion in 2021, subsequently reaching AUD $91.5 billion by 2025.

The strongest-growing sectors? Food and personal care (30.4%) and fashion and beauty (20.6%).

But beyond its sheer size, Australia’s online commerce landscape is also highly sophisticated. The same Euromonitor report ranked Australia as #1 in the world for "digitally connected commerce," which considers additional factors, such as market environment, eCommerce penetration rates, and mobile device ownership. Another key indicator is the availability and advancement of digital commerce infrastructures, such as payments technology and delivery logistics.

Australia has truly become one of the world’s most attractive commerce markets—and a crucial one for retail brands looking to grow their eCommerce business and expand their footprint in the region.

Australia’s shoppers expect a 360-degree commerce experience

The signs are clear: Australian consumers expect brands to meet them where they are, and they are demanding more dynamic digital experiences than ever before.

According to research by Google, 50% of Australian shoppers prefer to interact with brands via digital touch points and over 9 in 10 expect retailers to have their products available online.

So, brands that don’t show up where their shoppers are risk losing out. In fact, over a third of Australia’s consumers say they would choose an alternative brand over their first choice if it showed up in their online search results.

That being said, the boundaries between engagement platforms are also blurring. Shoppers are adopting increasingly omnichannel preferences, with 91% of Australians admitting they consistently jump between two or more different channels—such as in-store, website, and app—when interacting with brands throughout their buyer journey. This means the future of retail and commerce is neither fully digital nor fully in-store, but rather, a hybrid of both.

While in the past there may have been a clear difference between above-the-line and below-the-line, that “line” is fast-disappearing. To win over today’s shoppers who are seeking a hybrid experience, the human touch is a key differentiator. Brands need to be able to deliver highly differentiated experiences that are friction-free, consistent, and highly personalised—regardless of the platform or channel—and that’s where video technology can help.

Video engagement provides human connection

Ensuring that consumer relationships remain authentic and sustainable is critical to thriving in any commerce market, but especially so in Australia.

According to the latest findings by Cheetah Digital and Econsultancy, the best way to engage with Australian shoppers in 2022 is through real-time, hyper-personalised experiences.

For brands, this means it’s time to put customer engagement and experience first. But to do so is no longer about giving people access to an app or automating the sales experience, brands need to give shoppers the human touch. Research shows that buyers want someone to advise them and reassure them, especially for high-value purchases. And, those new to eCommerce need the human touch to build confidence and feel welcomed. It’s all about being reachable and trustworthy, and in this new selling landscape, the human touch is needed before loyalty and long-term trust can be attained.

In fact, the costs of not doing so are significant.

24% of consumers have left a favored brand because they didn’t feel valued enough as an individual.

This shows that the key to winning over customers’ hearts and wallets is the ability to build emotive bonds, foster a sense of community, and deliver bespoke offers and recommendations. How can that be achieved? With live video.

Video is a must-have shopper support tool

Video fills the need for human touch in online commerce because it meets the need for personalised engagement while offering the convenience of on-demand experiences. Not only does video make customers feel heard, and welcomed, it also creates a higher chance of resolving issues on the spot, which benefits your internal operations and bottom line, just as much as it does for your customers.

Video is a key reason why live shopping has exploded with such popularity across the world. The real-time, face-to-face interactions that take place over video mirror in-person touch points, creating opportunities for more intimate relationships, stronger bonds, and improved trust between brands and customers.

And beyond the pre-sales and sales stages of the purchasing cycle, video can also play a significant role in post-sales customer support. This makes video a bridge between online and offline experiences and a critical ingredient for a seamless hybrid experience.

Deliver differentiated commerce experiences with 8x8

Effective use of video in your 360-degree commerce strategy can deliver a huge boost to sales, improve engagement levels, and ease customer support—a win-win-win. 8x8 offers two unique video products, Jitsi as a Service (JaaS) and Video Interaction, making it easier than ever to add video communications to every touch point of your customer’s journey.

JaaS—for live shopping events and product demonstrations

JaaS allows you to embed live video functions directly onto your commerce platforms, whether it’s a native web or mobile app. This gives you full control over branding, privacy, and video call quality when you host live shopping events, VIP customer events, or even product demonstrations.

The best thing about JaaS is that it comes pre-built. With a few lines of codes, you can easily customise and deploy your very own video solution, and even integrate it with your existing customer relationship management (CRM) platforms.

Video interaction—for customer support

When it comes to managing customer complaints or feedback, 8x8’s Video Interaction is a perfect fit for post-sales support as it allows you to hyper-personalise the experience.

Designed as a 1-to-1 video tool, Video Interaction can act as a private room for customers to quickly escalate complex issues. And with features like screen capture and annotation, service agents can efficiently address product defects and provide usage assistance.

When 8x8's Video Interaction tool is combined with 8x8 Connect, our unified, multi-channel communications management platform, you’ll also have access to rich data and insights to monitor and optimise your personalised engagement throughout the purchasing cycle.

Learn more about 8x8's VIdeo APIs and find out how you can make video engagement more seamless and enjoyable, so you can deliver the truly personalised and real-time commerce experiences that Australian consumers desire.