New research indicates Australian retailers will benefit from increased consumer confidence in the lead-up to the Christmas trading period.
Research commissioned by SAS polled 3,458 consumers in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and US to uncover retail trends over the coming holiday period.
Among Australian consumers surveyed, 79 per cent said they expected to spend the same or more on Christmas this year than in 2014.
“Most down-under retailers can expect to enjoy a good holiday shopping season this year,” SAS Global Retail Marketing Manager Alan Lipson said, “But competition for a share of purse will be keener than ever as consumers increasingly resort to the internet to seek out bargains and compare prices.”
Shoppers in all five countries surveyed said they would trawl across different websites – or visit different stores – in pursuit of the specific brand of product they wanted.
Online shopping
Meanwhile, research from Adobe Digital Index suggests the biggest online spending ahead of the Christmas season will occur in the first week of December.
While online spending during the holidays is expected to remain steady, year on year, Adobe Digital Index predicts Australians will spend around US$7 billion ($9.86 billion) online in the lead-up to Christmas.
“Holiday shopping is a huge investment and consumers get more sophisticated every year with their online and mobile shopping, in order to secure the most popular gifts at the best prices,” Adobe Digital Index Principal Research Analyst Tamara Gaffney said.
“The average Australian internet user will spend a total of US$328 online during November and December, driving around 18 per cent of total online sales for the year. We are predicting the biggest day for online spending will be December 7.”
