Shoppers splash cash for Christmas
RETAILERS are gearing up for an avalanche of spending in the last seven days before Christmas morning as customers tap into the $240bn in savings piled up through Covid-19 lockdowns.
The kids need to be kept socially distanced from Santa and his elves, and shoppers have to be armed with not only their Christmas lists but also masks and vaccine certificates, but the retail industry is not perturbed, given the spare cash burning a hole in customers’ pockets.
Some clear leaders are emerging as popular gifts, with gift vouchers a popular choice. Australians also are still heavily focused on their homes – in which they have been locked for months in some states – with homewares, furnishings, smart tech devices that connect the home to online or a smartphone to be found beneath the Christmas tree.
At the Myer “giftorium”, a floor in the department store’s flagship Melbourne site devoted to all things presents and Christmas, kids are still getting their pictures with Santa and the retailer is revving up the Christmas spirit as much as is possible given the constraints of a pandemic.
“With only a few days to go before Christmas, we’re seeing increased foot traffic across our stores with customers looking for all their last-minute gifts and tabletop decor for Christmas Day,” a Myer spokesman said.
“Some of the most popular items we are seeing customers purchasing range from beauty gift sets from Dior, Estee Lauder and YSL … through to homewares such as Philips air fryers and Dyson home and hair products.
“For the kids, Santa is stocking up his sleigh with Barbie, LOL Surprise dolls, Bluey, and Lego.”
JB Hi-fi chief executive Terry Smart said home gadgets were proving a big hit heading into Christmas, especially devices that connected the home to the internet or smartphones.
This is partly a function of people focusing on their homes during lockdowns, fuelling a boom in sales of home furnishings, homewares, bedding and kitchen appliances across the year.
“Customers are continuing to focus on the home and as a result many of the appliance categories have remained popular over this period as well,” Mr Smart said.
Online marketplace Kogan.com reports strong demand for LED TVS and appliances, including large items such as fridges and washing machines, and, interestingly, sneakers.
Encouraging signs for the Christmas trading period for retailers began to emerge last month as people freshly out of lockdowns in NSW, Canberra and Victoria revealed a yearning for some retail therapy and plenty of pent-up savings to spend.