Australian retail turnover rose 7.0 per cent year-on-year in November 2025, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), signalling a continued shift in peak-season spending toward earlier in the festive cycle.
Total retail turnover reached $39.1 billion for the month, up $2.5 billion compared to November 2024. The increase was driven by strong year-on-year growth across most categories and states, with the largest gains concentrated in established Christmas gifting segments.
Household goods delivered the strongest category performance, recording a 10.1 per cent increase. Other retailing and cafés, restaurants and takeaway food services both rose 9.2 per cent, while clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing lifted 8.9 per cent. Food retailing increased by 3.8 per cent.
At a state level, Western Australia posted the strongest growth (+8.9%), followed by Queensland (+7.9%) and New South Wales (+7.0%).
Australian Retailers Association (ARA) CEO Chris Rodwell said the November result reflects a structural change in the timing of peak-season trading.
“November has become a critical peak trading month in its own right,” he said. “We’re seeing strong demand across discretionary and essential categories well before mid-December — year after year this trend is becoming more entrenched.”
The ABS figures align with recent ARA research indicating Australians are starting their Christmas shopping earlier than in previous years. ARA data shows nearly one-in-three shoppers began Christmas purchases earlier than they did in 2024, with promotional events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday now central to the peak-season retail calendar.
“Black Friday and early-season promotions are now firmly embedded in the shopping cycle,” Rodwell said. “What used to be a once-off mid-December rush is now a sustained, earlier, deal-sensitive shopping season.”
Rodwell said the shift reflects value-focused consumer behaviour, with shoppers spreading discretionary purchases across a longer period.
“Consumers are seeking both value and convenience. They’re starting earlier, taking advantage of promotions, and distributing their spend across November and early December — and that’s showing up clearly in the ABS turnover data.”