March 2022 interim report31 Mar 2022

On 28 April 2022, the ACCC released its fourth interim report as part of its inquiry into markets for the supply of digital platform services.

The report examines potential competition and consumer issues in the provision of general online retail marketplaces to consumers in Australia. This includes:

  • intensity of competition in the relevant markets
  • trends in online shopping and general online retail marketplaces
  • the conduct of marketplaces in their roles as platforms to facilitate interaction between third party sellers and consumers; including, where marketplaces also supply their own products on their platform, the impact that these sales and associated practices may have on competition with third-party sellers
  • relationships between marketplaces and third party sellers
  • relationships between marketplaces and consumers, as well as third party sellers and consumers.

See Digital platform services inquiry - March 2022 interim report.

Issues paper

To inform this report, the ACCC released an issues paper seeking views on the operation of general online retail marketplaces in Australia from anyone who participates on general online retail marketplaces, including consumers, small business customers, sellers and the marketplaces themselves.

On 20 October 2021, the ACCC published submissions to the issues paper informing the March 2022 interim report.

Submissions to issues paper

The ACCC received submissions in response to the issues set out in the issues paper from interested parties.