More Aussies to shop online this holiday season

Dean Blake

20th Oct 2020

As retailers and consumers alike head toward one of the more unique holiday shopping periods Australia has seen, survey business Pureprofile has released data on how Australians are looking to shop this Christmas.

And after a year of closed stores and lockdown, it seems the online trend is catching on: 40 per cent of Aussies will turn to online shopping to purchase holiday gifts this year, and about 39 per cent said they would shop with local brands, rather than international ones, in order to better help Australians businesses.

“These figures are telling. We’re a population struggling with the new normal caused by Covid-19 this Christmas,” said Pureprofile CEO Martin Filz.

“It’s still unclear what Covid-19 will bring in the new year; whether that’s more waves of the disease or the vaccine we’re all hopeful for [but] it’s clear from this research that the uncertainty is having a big impact on consumer behaviour and spending habits.”

And, after a year of bushfires, drought, floods and a pandemic, it’s little surprise to see more Australians shying away from big-budget shopping.

According to the survey, only 20 per cent of Aussies are planning on spending over $500 on gifts this year (down from 30 per cent last year), and a further 10 per cent have said they won’t buy any gifts at all (up from 6 per cent).

The money saved is likely to be put aside, said Filz, with more Australians spending only money they are absolutely certain they have.

However, that’s not to say Australians are in a dour mood. In fact, according to the ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index, consumer confidence rose for the seventh week in a row, up 0.4 per cent to the highest level since May.