NETO: HEALTH AND BEAUTY SHINES ONLINE

HEALTH and beauty retailers are defying all odds, shaping up as Australia's best-selling segment online.

Where physical department stores once dominated, online is now making up more and more cosmetics sales. The sector saw a 70 per cent lift in year on year sales online, according to Neto's e-commerce platform of 1000 businesses.

Retail has been relatively flat across Australia in this period, but online retailers reported a growth of 23 per cent from the January to June period.

Homewares came in second, seeing a 48 per cent growth, while sports and recreation grew 34 per cent.

"Within those categories, we're finding the most successful retailers are adopting an omni-channel approach, where they maintain a physical and online presence, and also sell through social media and platforms such as eBay," says Brisbane-based Neto's chief operating officer Jason Titman.

"Successful retailers are targeting a wide spread of consumers, and meeting them at their preferred buying platform, rather than waiting for consumers to come to a fixed sales platform."

Neto also shared the top five e-commerce sectors, according to the average value of transactions. It's unsurprising that motor parts ranks the highest at $340.86, but health & beauty also polls highly at $284.34 so not only are retailers in that space selling well, but the value of their inventory is high as well.

Read the stories behind the Australian beauty retailers killing it online, Ry.com.au and Adore Beauty.