Global e-commerce platforms have transformed the way we shop and allowed businesses to reach international markets with ease.
The data generated from such platforms is providing the retail sector with unprecedented insight into consumer behaviour, allowing e-commerce platforms to deliver compelling personalised product offerings.
Increasingly, online e-commerce platforms and ‘bricks and mortar’ companies are collaborating to combine instore experience with the efficiency of online platforms. Australian retailers are having to invest significantly in their technology platforms in order to compete with the offerings made by the global e-commerce providers to Australian consumers.
Competition law concerns are being raised by platform users competing with e-commerce platform ’house‘ brands. Regulators and legislators are working hard to ensure Australian retailers are not disadvantaged when they compete with international operators, and are looking to extend their regulatory reach to operators that do not have a physical presence in Australia.
We advise global e-commerce platforms on the application of Australian laws, including consumer and privacy laws. We advise e-commerce operators on establishing operations in Australia, including warehousing and logistics functions and partnering arrangements with ‘bricks and mortar’ stores, for ’click-and-collect‘ arrangements, commercial contracting requirements for systems development and outsourcing, and the use of consumer data in compliance with Australian privacy law.
We also assist Australian businesses to use or establish e-commerce platforms to offer their products to Australian and international consumers.
