MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--International fraud protection leader ClearSale (https://www.clear.sale) is proud to announce the expansion of its presence in Australia to support the country’s rapid ecommerce growth. ClearSale’s client base in Australia is poised to grow by 40% during 2020, following a 60% increase from 2018 to 2019. Ecommerce is expected to comprise 15% of Australia’s total retail market by year-end, five years ahead of projections for that level of growth, according to the Australia Post 2020 Ecommerce Industry Report.
To oversee the expansion, ClearSale has appointed Ralph Kooi as Country Manager for Australia. Kooi, who is based in the Greater Sydney area, brings to his new role extensive management experience in business development, marketing and sales in the Australian market.
“We’re excited to offer Australian merchants the benefit of Ralph’s knowledge as the country’s e-commerce volume and customer base expand,” said Rafael Lourenco, EVP of ClearSale. “With his track record of growing Mastersoft Group’s customer base and helping GBG customers scale their businesses, we know Ralph is the right person to help ClearSale’s Australian clients maximize their revenue, strengthen their customer relationships and grow their online retail businesses.”
"There’s no denying that the landscape of ecommerce in Australia has made some significant leaps forward in the past few months. Nobody could have predicted the increase of orders and first-time online buyers that required many merchants to quickly rethink their strategy and communication,” said Kooi, who holds Master of Commerce degrees in commerce and marketing from Macquarie University.
“I've always had a special interest in and love for the ecommerce industry, and I’m excited about working with ClearSale’s partners to help them increase their online sales while protecting them from the increase in online fraud in Australia and around the world,” he added.
A survey of 1,000 Australian online shoppers commissioned by ClearSale in March 2020 found that while many consumers are wary of ecommerce fraud, they also want a convenient shopping experience with trusted merchants who recognize them. Forty-five percent of Australian consumers said that the possibility of online scams deters them from shopping online, and 38% said that they’ve already experienced online fraud.
However, Australian shoppers don’t want more friction in their online buying experience: 44% have abandoned purchases because checkout was too long or complex, and 40% have ditched an online cart because the merchant required them to create an account before they could pay. The challenge for merchants is to deny fraudulent orders without requiring extra information from good customers—and to avoid rejecting good customers’ orders by mistake.
That’s because Australian shoppers are far less forgiving of rejection than fraud. Thirty-eight percent said they’ll never shop with a merchant again after a rejected order, but only 8% said they’ll never shop with a merchant after a fraud experience in their store.
“For ecommerce merchants to avoid fraud and retain customers, they need more than machine-learning tools that automatically screen orders,” Kooi said. “They also need expert analysts who can quickly review suspicious screened orders to avoid rejecting good customers while preventing fraud. I’m eager to show Australian retailers how they can use this combination of approaches to protect their revenue and customer lifetime value.”
About ClearSale
ClearSale offers the most complete ecommerce fraud protection, combining cutting-edge statistical technology with the world’s largest team of specialized fraud analysts for a balanced, comprehensive, real-world approach. Trusted by over 3,000 customers worldwide and touting a 99% retention rate, ClearSale is the first company to offer chargeback guarantees and the largest company focused on global card-not-present fraud prevention. ClearSale helps businesses prevent fraudulent chargebacks without interfering with the online shopping experience. As a result, clients can sell more, safely, even in dynamic or challenging international markets. More information at https://www.clear.sale or follow on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Twitter @ClearSaleUS.
