Supermarket giant Woolworths Ltd and e-commerce company eBay have today announced a partnership that will allow eBay customers to pick up purchases at Woolworths and Big W stores.
The Australian first partnership, Click & Collect, will see eBay buyers and sellers able to order from over 40,000 products on eBay and pick them up from their choice of over 90 Woolworths and Big W stores. The first stage of the launch is targeting stores in Sydney and Tasmania.
Click & Collect has kicked off with a group of sellers already on board, including No Frills, Mytopia, and Golfbox, with a plan to expand to 250 sellers in the next 2 months.
“The online retail industry is growing faster than ever. Last year, Australians spent $16.4 billion in this sector alone,” eBay Merchant Development Director Hamish Moline said.
“As it continues to expand, the traditional retail model is evolving and the lines between online and offline blurring. Consumers now expect a more bespoke experience that meets their needs.”
According to eBay-funded research of 1,000 respondents, 47 per cent of the one in five Australians that buy online at least once a week cannot receive their personal deliveries at work, 23 per cent were found to have taken a day off or chosen to work from home just to receive an online delivery, and 49 per cent are forced to re-direct online deliveries because of work.
Mr Moline said the convenience of the new service will “revolutionise the way Australians shop,” while sellers will benefit from a new way of driving traffic and encouraging sales.
Woolworths and eBay are projecting up to 12,000 sellers will be using the service, with more Woolworths and Big W stores expected to be included over the next 3 years.
The Australian delivery partnership comes after a successful run between eBay and Argos in the UK.