A third of Australians will not complete their Christmas shopping until the last week, according to the latest Australians National Retailers Association (ANRA) Christmas Index.
Shoppers will be crowding the aisles as last minute gifts are stashed under the tree with the index showing $7.6 billion in sales will flow through the checkout this week. Victorians will top the list of spenders and parting with $2.2 billion on gifts.
“Most of us will have gift buying well underway before this week, but a third of us will not complete our shopping until the last week, so it’s not too late to drop some hints to a loved one about a gift – chances are there will be purchases aplenty right up until the last minute in 2011,” says ANRA’s CEO, Margy Osmond.
“All states but NSW and WA should see a surge in shopping this week as the kids count down their advent calendars and excitement builds for the arrival of Santa in just a few sleeps time,” Osmond said.
The report also showed Australians will choose cash over their credit cards to pay for Christmas gifts this year. 13 per cent of shoppers are taking to the internet to do most of their shopping. CDs, DVDs and music are the most popular online purchases, closely followed by books and electronics.
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