Shoppers are being urged to get organised before retailers get busier closer to Christmas
Shoppers are expected to splash $19 billion on post-Christmas trade. But you don’t have to wait until Boxing Day to get a good bargain. HERE’S WHY.
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Exclusive: Aussies are expected to extend their spending into the summer following the Christmas rush – albeit at a subdued pace.
New data released by the Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan tips shoppers will splash $19 billion in the post-Christmas trade period from Boxing Day through to January 15.
This is an increase of 2.3 per cent on the same time period last year.
And the big category winners will be clothing, footwear and accessories and food.
But with just one week to go until Christmas the ARA’s executive director Russell Zimmerman said traditionally shoppers loved snapping up bargains in the Boxing Day sales, but there were many incentives which meant they could still score great deals now.
“In the last week before Christmas retailers know it’s going to be busy so they all start to look at how they can do gifts with purchase and add ons and give value to their customers,” he said.
“This could be a discount or by a value add such as a gift with purchase, for instance you might be aftershave and they throw in a deodorant.”
The bumper Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping days in late November and early December were a hit for retailers, and Mr Zimmerman said “there’s probably a little less emphasis on post-Christmas sales as there had been in the past”.
Mr Zimmerman said this coming weekend – the last weekend before Christmas – should be the busiest period for retailers and thousands of shoppers are expected to flock to stores to fill their Christmas stockings.
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He urged Australians to get organised and hit the stores because “they will only get busier”.
Myer’s executive general manager stores Tony Sutton encouraged shoppers “to take advantage of extended trading hours across our stores” and to get in early.
“If you are shopping online a good idea is to use express post options or our popular click and collect service to then collect your purchases in store,” he said.
Last weekend Myer suffered a major outage across their 61 stores that left customers stranded at point-of-sale terminals.
Mr Sutton said some of the biggest hits this Christmas was personalised Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates and personal Moet & Chandon bottles.
Other popular gifts including Frozen 2, Lego, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Sunnylife inflatables, rashies to wear swimming and FAO Schwartz Toys range.