The Rise of Australian Marketplaces: Why It’s Time to Support Independent Platforms Like Kouwi.com In the past few years, Australians have watched several homegrown e-commerce marketplaces struggle or disappear. HardtoFind closed its doors. Buy Aussie Now quietly vanished. Catch, once a leader in the online discount space, was sold off by Wesfarmers and has lost much of its brand equity. At the same time, global platforms like Amazon, Temu, Shein, Etsy, and eBay have flooded the market. But as convenient as these giants seem, they’ve come with rising concerns over quality, sustainability, and the treatment of small businesses. More Australians are realising the value in buying local and the need for a reliable, transparent, and ethical alternative. That’s where Kouwi.com comes in. The Demand Is There But Consumers Want More Than Just Cheap Australia’s online shopping market is valued at over $47 billion (IBISWorld, 2024), growing at a rate of 11.5% per year. Nearly 9 in 1...