February
Temple & Webster shares gain as sofas, bathroom taps boost sales
The country’s biggest online furniture and homewares retailer beat market expectations for sales in the first half of the financial year.
Amazon CEO explains why he’s happy to run DeepSeek
Andy Jassy rushed to make DeepSeek’s open-source models available to his customers, in a move that will put downward pressure on the total costs of AI projects.
January
NAB helps Amazon bypass credit cards with new way for customers to pay
The bank will enable the online retailing platform to accept payments directly from bank accounts, via an Reserve Bank-backed system known as PayTo.
Young people are the happiest customers. 3 charts show why
Despite the cost of living, a cohort of Australian consumers is still willing to splash out $250 on a swimsuit. What’s fuelling their spree?
Wesfarmers to shut Catch amid stiff competition from Temu, Amazon
The rise of big international players has prompted the retail giant to wind down the loss-making marketplace, saying it’s the “right thing for shareholders”.
Why Wesfarmers killed Catch.com.au
For a brief moment, it seemed Wesfarmers had found a winner when it bought online retail pioneer Catch Group. But it got two things wrong.
December 2024
Myer’s mega-expansion guards against Temu and Shein threat: expert
The independent assessors of the retailer’s proposed purchase of five Premier Investments chains say scale is needed to compete against cheap global giants.
Frustration gives birth to ‘the Mecca of the baby world’
Phoebe Simmonds and Kate Casey saw customers embrace big changes in the beauty world. So they brought them to the baby industry.
Amazon’s Temu copycat to fuel mindless Australian consumerism
The e-tailing giant’s “Haul” shopfront – an answer to cheap marketplaces that’s now on a US trial – is feeding a growing subculture of over-shopping.
Amazon is quietly turning into a major rival for Coles and Woolworths
Goldman Sachs estimates it is now the second-largest online retailer in Australia, but sales are still a fraction of the big supermarkets. Will that change?
November 2024
CBA prepares for AI to transform banking, with dozens of uses
The country’s biggest bank is already using AI to resolve 15,000 payment disputes every day. And its chief executive, Matt Comyn, says many more uses are on the way.
Fashion retailer The Iconic plots recovery, one Samba at a time
The boss of the popular fashion app is aiming to restore sales growth and shrink its net loss after a tough 12 months. But the field is getting crowded.
Bronzed Bali Body seeks capital injection to fund growth spurt
The founders of the self tanner and skincare company are hoping to catch a wave of offshore interest from international buyers.
Coles says focusing only on low prices sent customers away
Appearing at a competition inquiry, chief executive Leah Weckert says experience has shown shoppers want more than just cheap products.
Woolworths suppliers put on ‘holiday’ for price pushback, ACCC hears
The competition regulator’s public hearings have been told some producers did not receive any orders from the supermarket if they refused to drop prices.
Small retailers give a ‘hard no’ to Black Friday and the big sales
Dr Dough Donuts boss Kristy Bannister says discount blitzes like Black Friday do more harm than good for smaller retailers by creating “unsustainable” expectations.
Milkrun founder Milham returns to his roots at Koala
Koala co-founder Dany Milham will return to the chief executive role at the online furniture retailer he created in 2015, as it booked an annual profit.
October 2024
Zip banks on interest rate cuts as transaction volumes soar
The buy now, pay later group has endured a difficult two years and returned to growth, particularly in the US, where the majority of sales are processed.
Temple & Webster sales growth slows
The online furniture retailer is the latest to show sales momentum is slowing this half.
Ebay struggle’s to stay relevant
It’s become just another online marketplace, as the auctions that once added to the thrill of the chase now make up a small fraction of transactions.