Australians prefer to shop online from UK stores rather than local ones, according to purchasing data gathered from almost 100,000 Aussie shoppers in July.

The data, collected by cashback website, StartHere, found that of the top five most popular online stores for the month, four were international.

Marks & Spencer, Asos, and Boohoo from the UK were named, as well as Asian cosmetics retailer, StrawberryNet. The only Australian retailer to make it to the top five was Woolworths-owned liquor chain Dan Murphy’s.

Simon Szewach, CEO of StartHere, said that most concerning is that local stores are visited more often than overseas stores, but too often potential shoppers choose not to buy.

“Internet shopping is the world’s most competitive global marketplace, and there are Australian stores doing a great job,” says Szewach.

“The Iconic, for example, ticks the right boxes for price; range, and delivery speed, and is a consistent top 10 performer.

“We’ve also seen strong online sales growth at some well known local brands, including Bonds, Katies, and Big W.

Woolworths really seems to get online retail and their major brands have taken a big step up recently,” he said.

Based on Australian customer reviews on StartHere, 91 per cent of past shoppers recommended buying from Asos.

Similarly, 91 per cent recommended Marks & Spencer, and 94 per cent recommended StrawberryNet. The most highly recommended store overall was Dan Murphy’s, with 95 per cent of past shoppers recommending it as a great place to buy.