The first Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) retail report for 2019 has been released and the news was relatively positive. The report, which measured sales for November 2018, revealed a solid performance for the sector and we hope that this was the case for you and your business.
According to the ABS, the penultimate month of the year saw a seasonally adjusted turnover of 0.4%, making it one of the best months for retail in 2018.
After a relatively quiet year, this is welcome news and we’re confident this means that the December results will align with the NRA forecast of a $50 billion spend during the Christmas trade period.
Several key sales events such as Black Friday, Click Frenzy and Cyber Monday, along with the holiday season taking off mid-way through the month, all contributed to the better than expected sales figures for November 2018. It was particularly pleasing to see significant increases in areas such as Household Goods, Clothing, Footwear, and Personal Accessories.
In particular, the success of Click Frenzy and Cyber Monday contributed greatly to the solid growth in online sales for the month. The ABS report recorded that online turnover rose by 6.6 per cent – an increase of 5.9 per cent on the October results.
Meanwhile, as we creep closer to the end of January, parents across the country (perhaps including some of you) are preparing their kids for back to school.
For those of you who specialise in selling items such as clothing, footwear and stationery, the coming days will hopefully provide a strong sugar hit to begin the year.
Moreover, with more and more schools requiring digital tools such as laptops and iPad’s, we are anticipating strong sales for these items as well.
I hope you have a great week!
For further information on any queries you may have regarding the retail sales, please do not hesitate to contact the NRA at 1800 RETAIL (738 245).