Online department stores are gathering increasing marketshare and the category is set to become an integral player in the growth and evolution of Australian ecommerce.

The redesign of traditional department store Myer's online presence, and David Jones' recent announcement of a fresh online retail strategy are testament to the role online department stores will play in the future of Australian retailing.

So with department stores emerging as a leaders in the online arena, it is unsurprising that established US brand Amazon.com has emerged as number one in the Australian market, with 27 per cent of visits by Australian online department store shoppers.

Amazon's popularity is no doubt driven by the current strength of the Australian dollar and Amazon's sophisticated operations, honed over several years of successful US trade.

Dealsdirect.com.au leads the way for Australian sites, capturing 10.7 per cent of Australian online department store traffic. Having just announced the acquisition of its rival, Dinosaurdeals.com.au, observers can expect to see plenty more of Dealsdirect in the future.

Not all websites featured in this week's list are retail sites. Websites of bricks and mortar operators Target, Kmart and Big W are also included, indicating the impact these brands could have in the future should they decide to introduce a full online retail component.

Below are the top 20 websites in the Hitwise Shopping and Classifieds – Department Stores category, which includes sites that offer a wide range of goods. To qualify for this category, a site must sell goods across more than 50% of the Hitwise shopping categories. This category includes both online and offline department stores.

Top 20 Shopping and Classifieds - Department Stores websites based on market share of Australian visits, week ending 19 September 2009

Source: Experian Hitwise Australia – www.hitwise.com.au