The Westfield Group (ASX:WDC), Australia's largest shopping mall landlord, has taken the e-commerce plunge with the launch of Westfield.com.au - an online mall for Aussie consumers.

In its first stage, the online mall will feature more than 100 retailers, with more than 50 open today with the remainder opening coming over the next weeks. Beyond that, the number of retailers, as well as the types of products available, is expected to grow with the aim of providing shoppers with the best range, delivery and customer service possible.

Anne Marie Davis of market research firm Datamonitor, said this move demonstrates the group's ongoing responsiveness to the online threat.

"As the site also includes retail brands that are not present in Westfield's shopping centers, it has the potential to act as an effective testing ground for potential new Westfield Australia shopping centre tenants from Europe and the US.

"If Westfield replicates the online model in its UK and US malls then there is a similar opportunity for Australian brands to spread their wings in a more cost effective way with a partner who knows the local markets," Ms Davis said.

A key feature of Westfield's online mall is that it allows shoppers to search by either retailer, product, brand, price or size. Shoppers can also interact with each other by sharing their choices and purchases through social media sites. Tweet