AusPost sets festive record, releases Q2 shopping figures

Kaycee Enerva

19th Jan 2026

Australia Post has recorded its busiest season on record, delivering almost 111 million parcels across November and December, up 7.6 per cent year on year.

The surge was driven by Cyber Sales weekend and early festive promotions, with the busiest day being December 9, when more than 3 million parcels were delivered.

AustPost said 7.9 million Australian households shopped online during the two months, an increase of 300,000 compared with last year.

Several retail categories grew, led by athleisure, up 24.7 per cent, followed by women’s fashion at 21.2 per cent and department stores at 15.7 per cent.

WA posted the strongest year-on-year increase in online purchases at 15.2 per cent, ahead of Queensland at 10 per cent, SA at 9 per cent and NSW at 8.3 per cent.

Gary Starr, executive GM of parcel, post and e-commerce services at AusPost, said the organisation handled an average of 3075 parcels per minute and more than 2 million deliveries per day for more than 30 consecutive days during the peak period.

“Retailers brought sales forward earlier than previous years, and shoppers responded in force, with cyber-weekend sales rising 6.3 per cent year on year as Australians increasingly seek out smarter, value-driven ways to shop,” he said.

Regional Queensland suburbs Toowoomba and Mackay, along with Point Cook in Victoria, ranked as the top three postcodes for online shopping volume.

Meanwhile, Richmond in Victoria, Bondi Junction in NSW and Geelong in Victoria recorded the highest usage of Australia Post’s express delivery services.

Starr said the company was already preparing for future peak periods as e-commerce continues to evolve.

“Customers’ need for greater reliability, easier ways to manage deliveries and a more seamless online-to-doorstep experience has shaped every enhancement we’ve made,” he added.

“We’ve listened closely, and those insights have helped deliver one of our strongest peak performances yet.”