Home topics technology e-commerce-2 eCommerce Small Business Transport | Logistics eCommerce Online Chinese consumers demand ‘Made in Australia’ Kim Garner October 5, 2017 Since its inception in December 2015, the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement has presented potential advantages for Australian businesses, including driving exports. Between 2015 and 2016, more than 25 percent of total Australian exports went to China, earning Australia as much as AU $85.9 billion in revenue [1] . In 2015, the National Bureau of Statistics of China recorded a 39 percent increase in online retail sales over 2014 [2] . According to the same report, analysts forecast that in 2018, more than 40 percent of the total Chinese population will have purchased products online. This estimate presents potential for Australian retailers to reach Chinese consumers through online channels. The allure of Australian made A FedEx survey [3] in March 2017 of 1,000 Chinese online shoppers revealed that demand for Australian-made products remains high because of the positive perception towards Australian goods, which are often associated with quality, safety and being good value for money. 84 percent of Chinese online shoppers have expressed the intent to purchase at least one Australian product in the next 12 months. In fact, 81 percent of the Chinese consumers surveyed by FedEx have purchased at least one Australian product online in the past. Australian goods appear to have succeeded in earning awareness amongst Chinese online consumers, which makes China an important market for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). FedEx research revealed two