Australia’s busiest online shopping week no longer in December

The Inside Australian Online Shopping preview found that the two significant shopping events recorded growth of 28.7 per cent year-on-year - indicating shoppers are ticking off their Christmas lists earlier than ever before.

The research also showed that our love for online bargain hunting remains strong, with growth of around 24 per cent year-on-year across all major shopping events in Australia.

General Manager Parcel & Express Services, Ben Franzi, said the research shows a continuing shift in the timing and channels shoppers use to make their key purchases.

“Traditionally, the first week of December was the peak for online sales. Now, it’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday - which strongly suggests that more Aussies are doing their Christmas shopping online and earlier than ever before.”

“Importantly, this signals to retailers they need to consider timing their sales earlier to grab a slice of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday pie.

“Australians are getting savvier with how they shop, and are starting to purchase seasonal items that they might usually buy instore. For example, in the second week of December we saw a marked increase in online purchasing of specialty food and liquor – resulting in a growth of 41 per cent year-on-year.

“We know that customers are increasingly drawn to the convenience and stress-free experience of online shopping – Paypal reports that 70[i] per cent of Australians find online shopping less stressful than going in-store,” said Mr Franzi.

Key data, year-on-year:

Significant online shopping events:
- May Mayhem: up 25.1 per cent
- EOFYS: up 30 per cent
- Click Frenzy: up 13.5 per cent
- Black Friday/Cyber Monday: up 28.7 per cent
- Boxing Day: up 24 per cent
- Popular pre-Christmas categories:
- Black Friday/Cyber Monday: Cosmetics at 54 per cent
Second week of December:
- Specialty Food & Liquor: 41 per cent
- Variety stores: 56 per cent

Source: Australia Post