ONLINE OPPORTUNITY AWAITS TASMANIAN RETAILERS

The Tasmanian Greens today said that Tasmania’s retail sector needs to get a bigger slice of the online retailing pie, with online retail spending continuing to grow despite the broader retailing slowdown.

Greens Economic Development spokesperson Tim Morris MP said that the National Australia Bank’s latest online retail sales index continued growth in online spending, with $11.1 billion spent by shoppers in April online and three quarters of that from Australian-based websites.

“Despite the rapid expansion of online spending, the Tasmania’s internet retailing presence has continued to lag behind the nation,” Mr Morris said.

“Tasmania’s clean and green brand is where there is a real growth opportunity for our retailers, and if we can just lift our game a little bit more online, then significant wealth and job creation opportunities await those businesses who are selling quality products.”

“This would also mean that Tasmanian dollars are staying in the state and that our retailers have access to a global marketplace.

“That’s one of the reasons the Greens drove a push for a dedicated program in this year’s State Budget to provide one-on-one training with small retailers to help them create a slick and professional online presence.”

“The Small Business On-Line Retail Innovation item in the Budget allocated $380,000 over three years to help put Tasmanian businesses on the digital map.”

“Our scheme is modelled on the Tourism Tasmania Digital Coach Program, which has been extremely successful in helping tourism operators also capitalise on the massive online market potential for electronic bookings.”

“We’re urging all Tasmanian small businesses to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity for growth,” Mr Morris said.

“The Greens are keen to see that this program rolled out as quickly as possible, and are calling on the Economic Development Minister to provide a clear implementation plan, including a mechanism to evaluate its success,” Mr Morris said.

Tim Morris MP Economic Development Spokesperson Wednesday, 30 May 2012