# E-commerce Planning for 2027: What Australian Retailers Need

URL: https://ecomchannels.com/insights/ecommerce-planning-2027-australian-retailers/
Category: E-commerce trends
Updated: 2026-10-30

> What Australian retailers should plan for in 2027: AI-led discovery, social commerce, marketplaces, smaller baskets and delivery choice, with the evidence.

For 2027, Australian retailers should plan for continued online growth with thinner margins per order. Shoppers will compare prices with AI, buy through social platforms and marketplaces, and choose between sellers on delivery. The practical priorities are clean, structured product data that AI assistants and marketplaces can read; presence across marketplaces and social channels; lower cost per order; and delivery options shown clearly at checkout. Deloitte, quoted in Australia Post's 2026 report, says most retail leaders expect "core" online growth of 5-10%, even where stretch targets are 20-30%.

## Start from the current numbers

The baseline is strong but changing. Australians spent $82.6 billion online in 2025, up 14%, according to the [Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026](https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/ecommerce-reports/annual-ecommerce-reports/ecommerce-report-2026.pdf). In July to September 2026, online spend grew 17% and reached 26% of retail, while the average basket fell 6.8% to $90 ([Australia Post FY27 Q1](https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost/documents/ecommerce/quarterly-updates/oct-2026-quarterly-ecommerce-update.pdf)).

The economic outlook is mixed. A CBA economist writing in the Australia Post report expected household spending growth to ease in 2026 as income growth slows, while Deloitte's Harsha Maddipatla expects continued growth in 2026-27, particularly for e-commerce. A sensible plan for 2027 assumes more orders, smaller baskets and continued price competition, and builds margin through efficiency rather than price rises. For the full picture, see [Australian online shopping statistics 2026](https://ecomchannels.com/insights/australian-online-shopping-statistics-2026/).

## 1. Prepare product data for AI-led discovery

AI is now part of how many Australians shop. PayPal's [2026 eCommerce Index](https://www.paypalobjects.com/marketing/web24/au/PayPal_2026_eCommerce_Index_Infographic.pdf) found 48% have used AI when shopping online, rising to 62% of Gen Z. Their main uses were price comparison (57%), product comparison (51%), visual search (46%) and review summaries (45%). Australia Post reports 6 in 10 Australians now use AI.

The next step is agentic commerce, where AI agents compare and buy on a shopper's behalf. Australia Post's report cites a Deloitte Digital estimate that agentic AI could influence 30% of digital commerce transactions by 2030. Consumers are still cautious: only 16% like the idea and 61% dislike it. Businesses are moving faster, with 85% taking steps to prepare. Australia Post's advice is to "clean your data or get ignored by agentic AI".

In practice, that means complete attributes, consistent titles, accurate stock and delivery data, and structured, machine-readable product content on your own storefront and every marketplace.

## 2. Treat social as a sales channel

Social platforms now sell as well as promote. PayPal's 2026 research, [reported by IT Brief](https://itbrief.com.au/story/australian-businesses-embrace-social-selling-paypal-says), found 67% of Australian businesses use social platforms as a sales channel and social media accounts for 11% of online sales. 28% of consumers had bought through a social or streaming platform in the past six months, including 46% of Gen Z. Australia Post reports that 60% of shoppers use social media for product discovery.

Planning for 2027 means a regular content calendar across the platforms your customers use, with shoppable links and consistent product information.

## 3. Be present across marketplaces, with a strong direct channel

Marketplaces remain the largest online category. Pure marketplaces took $18.9 billion in 2025 and $6.1 billion in the September 2026 quarter alone (up 20%). [Roy Morgan](https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/10158-amazon-temu-and-shein-growth-story-continues-march-2026) warns that the middle of the market is eroding, so retailers need to compete clearly on value or on experience, brand and quality. Australia Post recommends a hybrid approach: use marketplaces for scale and discovery, and your own channels for brand, loyalty and margin.

## 4. Cut the cost of each order

With baskets shrinking, the fixed cost of handling each order matters more every quarter. Automation is still at an early stage for most businesses. The ABS [Characteristics of Australian Business 2024-25](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/technology-and-innovation/characteristics-australian-business/latest-release) found 12% of businesses used AI, and only 9% in retail trade. PayPal found 52% of Australian businesses already deploy AI, and increased efficiency was the top benefit businesses cited (71%). Order routing, label creation, tracking uploads and settlement reconciliation are good starting points because they repeat thousands of times and need little judgement.

## 5. Compete on delivery choice and certainty

Delivery remains a deciding factor. Australia Post found 69% of shoppers want a range of delivery options, 32% would switch retailers for out-of-home collection, and 73% say a good delivery experience makes them shop online more. Show delivery options on the product page as well as at checkout.

## Also worth watching: recommerce

Second-hand is moving towards retailers. Australia Post found 73% of online shoppers are interested in buying second-hand or refurbished goods directly from retailers, but only 14% of businesses sell or partner to sell them. For some categories, a trade-in or pre-loved range is worth testing in 2027.

## Key figures

- **48% of Australians** have used AI when shopping online; 62% of Gen Z ([PayPal eCommerce Index, 2026](https://www.paypalobjects.com/marketing/web24/au/PayPal_2026_eCommerce_Index_Infographic.pdf)).
- **85% of Australian businesses** are taking steps to prepare for agentic commerce ([Australia Post, 2026](https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/ecommerce-reports/annual-ecommerce-reports/ecommerce-report-2026.pdf)).
- **67% of businesses** sell through social platforms; social is **11% of online sales** (PayPal, via [IT Brief, 2026](https://itbrief.com.au/story/australian-businesses-embrace-social-selling-paypal-says)).
- **12% of Australian businesses** used AI in 2024-25, 9% in retail trade ([ABS, 2026](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/technology-and-innovation/characteristics-australian-business/latest-release)).
- Online marketplaces grew **20%** to $6.1 billion in the September 2026 quarter ([Australia Post FY27 Q1, 2026](https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost/documents/ecommerce/quarterly-updates/oct-2026-quarterly-ecommerce-update.pdf)).

## How eComChannels helps

eComChannels covers several of these priorities from one platform, with people approving the AI's work.

- [AI listing optimisation](https://ecomchannels.com/products/ai-listing-optimisation/) keeps one master product record and drafts complete, rule-compliant listings for each marketplace. That gives you the clean, structured product data that marketplace search and AI shopping assistants depend on, with bulk updates when prices or ranges change.
- [AI social media outreach](https://ecomchannels.com/products/ai-social-media-marketing/) helps you create and publish product content across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X, Threads and RedNote, so you can post regularly without a large content team.
- [Order management](https://ecomchannels.com/products/order-management/) keeps orders, stock and dispatch for every channel in one place, which lowers the cost of each order as baskets shrink.

[Book a demo or start a 30-day free trial](https://ecomchannels.com/book-a-demo/) to plan your 2027 channel and automation roadmap.

## FAQ

### What is the biggest e-commerce trend for 2027?

AI-led product discovery. Nearly half of Australians already use AI when shopping, and businesses are preparing for AI agents that compare and buy on shoppers' behalf. Product data that machines can read accurately is the practical starting point.

### How much should I expect online sales to grow in 2027?

It depends on category and channel. Deloitte, quoted by Australia Post, reports that mature Australian retailers often set e-commerce stretch targets of 20-30% but expect core growth of 5-10%.

### Where should a small retailer start with automation?

Start with repetitive tasks that need little judgement: syncing stock across channels, creating shipping labels, uploading tracking and reconciling marketplace payouts. These save time on every order and reduce errors.

## Sources
- Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026, Australia Post (2026): https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/ecommerce-reports/annual-ecommerce-reports/ecommerce-report-2026.pdf
- Quarterly eCommerce Update FY27 Q1 (October 2026), Australia Post (2026): https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost/documents/ecommerce/quarterly-updates/oct-2026-quarterly-ecommerce-update.pdf
- eCommerce Index 2026 (infographic), PayPal Australia (2026): https://www.paypalobjects.com/marketing/web24/au/PayPal_2026_eCommerce_Index_Infographic.pdf
- Australian businesses embrace social selling, PayPal says, IT Brief Australia (2026): https://itbrief.com.au/story/australian-businesses-embrace-social-selling-paypal-says
- Characteristics of Australian Business, 2024-25, Australian Bureau of Statistics (2026): https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/technology-and-innovation/characteristics-australian-business/latest-release
- Temu and Shein still the headline disruptors in 2025, Roy Morgan (2026): https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/10158-amazon-temu-and-shein-growth-story-continues-march-2026