Online shopping is a $30 billion industry in Australia and is expected to grow to $36 billion by 2013, according to industry estimates.

There are three mains reasons why consumers shop online:

• There is a greater range of products available online

• Products are more affordable – particularly with the strong Australian dollar

• The convenience of being able to shop 24/7 from pretty much anywhere and to buy from retailers all around the globe

Traditional and internet retailers gathered at the CeBIT Australia over the 3 days of the conference to listen to leaders in the online world speak about their vision for the future of eCommerce in Australia.

eBay AU & NZ Vice President, Deborah Sharkey led a session on eCommerce strategies to talk about how to deal with changes in consumer behaviour, the move to mobile and multi- channelling.

In the offline world traditional retailers partner with shopping malls, in the online world retailers partner with online marketplaces like eBay.

More and more big name retailers understand that with six million Australians visiting eBay each month it makes sense to partner with eBay and be where the consumers are. As Ms Sharkey noted, "increasingly traditional retailers and manufacturers, the likes of Dell, Cellarmasters, ABC Shop and Optus are leveraging eBay as a cost-effective sales channel.

It’s creating significant opportunity for retailers, manufactures and logistic providers alike who are prepared to evolve and meet the needs of the modern consumer.”

With more then 10 million Australians now shopping online, it is not surprising that the growth in eCommerce is a stark contrast to the trend evident in the traditional retail sector where growth has been pretty flat.