What Share of Australian Retail Is Online? 2026 Data Explained

Depending on the measure, online accounts for somewhere between about one-eighth and one-quarter of Australian retail. The last ABS reading put online at 12.7% of retail turnover in June 2025. Bank transaction data published by Australia Post puts it at 24% for 2025 and 26% for the July to September 2026 quarter. Both are valid; they count different things, and both show online growing faster than retail overall.

The two headline numbers

The ABS measure. For years the standard reference was the experimental online series in the ABS Retail Trade, Australia publication. In its final release for June 2025, the ABS reported that online made up 12.7% of total retail in original terms, up from 11.6% in June 2024. Seasonally adjusted online sales were $4,703.8 million for the month, up 13.0% through the year.

The bank transaction measure. The Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026 uses CommBank iQ transaction data, with an estimate for buy now, pay later payments. On that basis online was about 24% of total retail spend in 2025, up 1.6 points. The FY27 Q1 update reports 26% for July to September 2026, up 1.5 points on a year earlier.

Why the numbers differ

The gap comes mainly from method. The ABS figure was built from a survey of retail businesses and measured their online turnover against their total turnover. The Australia Post figure is built from what consumers spend, tracked through banking data and grouped into categories, including pure online marketplaces.

Australia Post itself has shown how much the choice of source matters. Its 2025 report said online spending made up between 17.7% and 22.3% of all retail spend in 2024, depending on the source used. The report also warns that CommBank iQ regularly refines its categorisation, so year-to-year comparisons should be made with care.

A third view comes from the Reserve Bank. Its 2025 Consumer Payments Survey found that online payments were around 20% of all consumer payments by number. That share covers more than retail, but it moves in the same direction: up from 18% in 2022 and 4% in 2007.

For planning, the useful conclusion is the trend, not the exact figure. Every measure shows the online share rising.

The ABS series has stopped

There is a practical complication. The ABS ceased Retail Trade, Australia after the June 2025 release and now points users to the Monthly Household Spending Indicator. The June 2025 figure of 12.7% is therefore the last reading of that particular series. Anyone quoting a 2026 "ABS online share" should check which product it came from, because the old series has no newer data.

Until a comparable official series settles, Australia Post's quarterly updates are the most regular public read on online share. Use them for direction and treat the ABS history as the long-run baseline.

Online share varies by category and age

The headline average hides large differences.

• Food versus non-food. In the final ABS release, online made up 19.0% of non-food retail and 7.2% of food retail. Australia Post's category data on its trends and insights page says only 9.6% of food and grocery spend is online, which it describes as an opportunity.
• By generation. Australia Post's 2026 report shows the online share of spending at 28.5% for Millennials, 25.5% for Gen Z, 23.9% for Gen X, 19.1% for Baby Boomers and 14.3% for Builders.

So a homewares or electronics seller faces a much more online market than the average suggests, while a grocery or liquor brand has more room to grow online. You can find category-level spend in our overview of Australian online shopping statistics for 2026.

What a rising share means for retailers

When a quarter of spend moves online, online can no longer be treated as a side channel. Three practical consequences follow:

1. Stock has to be accurate everywhere. As more orders arrive through websites and marketplaces, a single inventory figure has to feed every channel. Overselling on one marketplace costs you a customer and can hurt your seller metrics.
2. Your own storefront and marketplaces work together. Australia Post reports that 69% of shoppers buy on marketplace apps and 78% on retailer websites. Most shoppers use both, so sellers need to be on both.
3. Per-order cost decides margin. Australia Post data shows average online baskets falling. More, smaller orders make manual handling expensive.

Key figures

• Online was 12.7% of total retail in June 2025 on the final ABS measure, up from 11.6% a year earlier (ABS, 2025).
• Online was 19.0% of non-food and 7.2% of food retail turnover in June 2025 (ABS, 2025).
• Online made up about 24% of total retail spend in 2025 on CommBank iQ transaction data (Australia Post, 2026).
• Online share reached 26% in the July to September 2026 quarter (Australia Post FY27 Q1, 2026).
• Online payments were around 20% of all consumer payments in 2025 (RBA, 2026).

How eComChannels helps

A growing online share pays off only if you can serve it without overselling, double handling or losing margin. eComChannels connects the parts.

• Order management pulls orders from your website and every connected marketplace into one queue and keeps stock synced across channels. You can widen your reach without the oversell risk that comes with managing each channel separately.
• Branded storefronts give you a fast, SEO- and GEO-ready web store connected to the same OMS. You keep a direct, higher-margin channel alongside marketplaces, and it can be found in search engines and AI assistants.
• AI listing optimisation manages one master product record and drafts channel-specific listings for people to approve. Adding a marketplace becomes a review task rather than a rebuild.

Book a demo or start a 30-day free trial to see it with your own catalogue.

FAQ

What percentage of Australian retail is online in 2026?

Australia Post's bank transaction data puts online at 26% of total retail for July to September 2026. The last ABS figure, for June 2025, was 12.7%, measured on a different basis.

Why does the ABS show a lower online share than Australia Post?

The ABS measured online turnover reported by retail businesses in its survey. Australia Post uses consumer transaction data grouped by category, including spending with pure online marketplaces. The two methods count different things, so the levels differ, but both show online rising.

Is the ABS still publishing online retail data?

The ABS ceased Retail Trade, Australia after the June 2025 release and now directs users to the Monthly Household Spending Indicator. The experimental online retail series in that publication therefore ends at June 2025.