October 16, 2011
With Australian consumers increasingly shopping online for goods and services; local retailers and merchants who haven't yet embraced the web by registering a .com.au domain name and creating an ecommerce enabled web site for their business are leaving money on the table.
A clear indicator of the boom in online shopping comes from a recent press release published by Australia Post. While letter volume has been whittled away by email, Australia Post says it experienced an incredible 10.9 percent jump in the number of parcels it processed during the last financial year - primarily due to Australian consumers purchasing items online.
Recognising that it needs to ramp up its parcel service to meet ever-growing demand, Australia Post is adding delivery options such as extended collection hours, parcel lockers and email and SMS notifications of parcels arriving. For merchants and retailers, more economical shipping options are on the cards that will further increase the attractiveness of online purchasing to consumers.
While Australians are becoming more comfortable with buying from overseas merchants offering cheap prices, a local business with an ecommerce-enabled online representation still has an edge if it can offer reasonably competitive pricing and delivery options. The .com.au domain extension is a clear signal to consumers in search engine listings that the business is local, helping to build some initial confidence.
Unlike .com, .net and .org domain names and some other extensions, in order to register a .com.au; the name must be in connection to a registered Australian business. It's this and other criteria that has made .au a trusted extension - and trust is critical when it comes to turning online browsers into buyers.
Registering an Australian domain name isn't a complex process and is very quick if you have your basic business details such as ABN close to hand, so start your domain name search before the rest of your competitors do - and open a web site hosting account while you're at it so you'll have the basics in place to bring your business online.
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How to register a name: Enter your choice in the search tool and click 'GO'. If after the check the domain names search results show your choice is available, you will then have the option to proceed to purchase registration; which is a very quick and easy process - start a search and find your ideal website address now.
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