Retail store Harvey Norman has finally succumbed to the inevitable and has launched an e-commerce site.

Gerry Harvey, chairman of Harvey Norman has been vocal about his resistance to online retail. A year ago Harvey criticized the federal government for allowing customers to buy from overseas online stores without paying GST. Harvey has finally relented against online retail when he launched a daily deal site, Harvey Norman Big Buys in April this year. Big Buys only sells a number of limited items in bulk and doesn't affect Harvey Norman franchisees.

The new site, Harveynorman.com.au allows customers a choice from a number of Harvey Norman products from personal care items to consumer electronics. The new site also allows customers to see customer ratings and reviews on items and view multiple product photos. Customers who buy from the online store can have some items delivered to their homes or pick them up in the company's retail network. However some items, like Apple's iPad, are only marked for in-store pick-up thus negating one of the advantages to retail shopping.

Delivery charges depend on the weight of the item and the distance of the delivery. Small items only cost $5.95 to deliver while larger items in remote areas more than 100 kilometers from a regional center can cost $199 for delivery. Customers can pay via PayPal, MasterCard or Visa credit card.

Harvey Norman Online is also linked to the retailer's social media sites. Consumers can share their favorite products with their friends and family through Facebook, Twitter and email.

The retail industry has been hard hit lately with the economic downturn, the strong showing of the Australian dollar and by the increasing presence of online competition. Other retail stores like JB Hi-Fi have begun importing products to compete with other online retailers.

Harvey Norman earnings have fallen 20 percent in the three months to September. The bricks and mortar retailer was also heavily hit by competition from online retailers like Kogan and Deals Direct. Harvey had admitted that he was under internal pressure to launch a fully-fledged online presence.

"I've got a whole heap of people who work at Harvey Norman who are telling me I'm mad for not doing it," he said.