Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing fell 0.2% in May according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This result follows a 1.2% decline for the sector in April.
Overall, Australian retail turnover rose 0.1% in May which follows a 0.1% fall in April.
ABS Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys Ben James said that similarly to April, May contained mixed results across industries.
"There were mixed results across the industries with rises in Cafes, restaurant and takeaway food services (0.7%), Household goods retailing (0.5%, and Other retailing (0.6 %).
"These rises were offset by falls in Food retailing (-0.3%), Department stores (-0.4%), and Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (-0.2%)," he said.
Online retail turnover contributed 6.2% to total retail in May, an uplift from a 5.7% contribution in the month prior. In May 2018 online retail contributed 5.6% to total retail.
Geographically Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and the NT all experienced rises in May, while Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and Tasmania all experienced declines in the month.
However in the coming months retailers may experience an uplift in trade, due to the government's $158 bilion tax plan which has been given the green light.
In the immediate term, millions of workers will receive a bonus $1080 back when they file their tax returns, money which National Retail Association (NRA) CEO Dominique Lamb hopes to see spent with retailers.
"The tax cuts passed by the senate are the best present retailers could have asked for to kick off the new financial year.
"Retail has had a very slow 2019, reinforced again yesterday by average ABS sales results for the month of May. This stimulus is therefore welcome news to retailers across the country who are battling difficult economic conditions.
"Although these tax cuts are no silver bullet, they certainly put money straight into the back pocket of millions of Australians and should result in a much-needed boost in retail spending.
"As the money hits bank accounts across the country in the coming weeks, the NRA is urging consumers to splash the extra cash at the shops.
"Whether it is purchasing a few extra items during grocery shopping, splurging on some personal items or finally having enough cash to make a long-awaited purchase, we encourage shoppers to not be shy about spending this money," she said.