New Playbook Highlights Opportunities for Aussie Retailers Amidst Disruption

Mastercard releases “E-Commerce Giants Head Down Under: A Playbook to Survive and Thrive in Australian Retail”

Mastercard has released a new playbook for Australian retailers, E-Commerce Giants Head Down Under: A Playbook to Survive and Thrive in Australian Retail. The playbook outlines practical strategies for Australian retailers facing disruption as global e-commerce players enter the local market.

Based on Mastercard’s experience working with retailers that have survived global e-commerce giants entering their markets, the report examines the Australian retail sector and what makes the Australian shopper unique. Drawing on global insights, it offers strategies for retailers to prevent market share losses and participate in growth opportunities.

Marc Carolus, Principal, Mastercard Advisors, Australasia said, “By investing strategically, incumbent Australian retailers have an opportunity to participate in market growth, evolve, and become recognised as locally-grown, omni-channel powerhouses. Australia is a unique market and while retailers should take learnings from their global counterparts, they also need to look at what sets them apart, using their differentiators to inspire shoppers.”

The playbook provides further detail on Mastercard’s five-step approach to help Australian retailers prepare and adapt, as outlined below:

1. Build a seamless shopping experience across channels, whether shoppers begin the customer journey online or in-store
2. Understand customer behavior; use anonymized and aggregated insights to personalize offerings accordingly
3. Reinvigorate the retail store experience to provide unique reasons for customers to return
4. Constantly assess pricing strategy and value proposition; trial new initiatives with customer subsets and establish a culture of conducting business experiments to evaluate new programs
5. Partner with the right external institutions; consider collaborations which will complement services or offerings

“We’re yet to witness the impact of global e-commerce giants on the Australian market, but experience from retailers internationally has shown being on the front foot and armed with strategies to tackle online global competition delivers benefits – it doesn’t have to be all challenges,” said Carolus. “Over the past year, the retail sector has seen positive growth, which also adds to the opportunities highlighted in the playbook.”

According to recent figures from Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks retail sales across all payment types including cash and check, the Australian retail sector had experienced 2.0% year-to-year growth as of November 2017, and 2.0% growth for the month of December 2017, continuing optimism in the market.

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About Mastercard
Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry.  We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardAU, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

Mastercard Communications Contacts:
Anne Wall, (02) 9466 3851
Anne.wall@mastercard.com

Sarah Trethewy, (02) 999 4461
strethewy@webershandwick.com