Online buyers go on booze binge

AUSTRALIA is on track to spend twice as much on alcohol as they will on chocolate for the festive break.

A survey of more than 2000 people, conducted by Australia Post, showed Aussies will fork out $90 on average for wine, beer or spirits to drink, in comparison to the $43 they splash on festive sweets.

And much of the buying has been done online.

Australia Post’s general manager for eCommerce Ben Franzi says digital shopping in Australia is up a whopping 19.2 per cent on last year.

“The research we’ve done has indicated people have become a lot more comfortable buying online, especially when it comes to avoiding crowds and the convenience factor,” he said.

“Really, over the last 12 to 18 months there’s been a large rise in online shopping, the biggest growth I’ve seen in my time.”

A third of Australians surveyed said they were planning to buy either chocolate or wine online ahead of the Easter long weekend, with 46 per cent of people saying it was because they wanted to ignore crowds.

Vinomofo Head of Marketing Kip McMillan said online wine sales had soared the week coming into Easter.

“Easter is a big deal for us as customers look for options outside of their busy schedules and closures on Good Friday,” Mr McMillan said.

“This week we’re expecting to sell more than 90,000 bottles of wine, compared to roughly 70,000 last year.”

Further research conducted by Canstar revealed 60 per cent of Australians would be spending up to $100 overall, while 32 per cent were forking out up to $500, with a bulklikely to be food and drink.

“Confectionary may be on the shopping list but accompanying holiday gettogethers is most likely to be good food and a selection of alcohol,” a Canstar spokesman said. “For anyone who’s not careful, the lure of the long weekend might see a budget blow out this Easter.