Online payment system company eWay has released a report that totals Australian spending during Christmas at $3.29 billion up 28% from the previous year.
Online spending for the final quarter of 2015 was also recorded at $5.52 billion from $4.98 billion in the September quarter.
In terms of category spending mens and womens clothing stores saw a profit growth of 56.6% in December 2015 while womens accessory and specialty stores emerged as the only category recording a year-on-year dip at -0.2%.
The report suggests that Australian retailers sent more goods to overseas buyers this year with the value of deliveries to international locations surging upwards of 60% on 2014.
eWay founder and CEO Matt Bullock believes that new trends are emerging with consumers now spending big bucks in January.
“The average purchase size has gone up 4%, but this growth isn’t necessarily because consumers are spending more.
“They’re mainly diverting a larger percentage of their Christmas budget to online channels.
“An interesting trend with Boxing Day sales is emerging, with eWay recording relatively average sales in the few days post Christmas the past two years.
“The first week of January appears to be the new key window, with sales volumes surging during the first week of the year.”
The full report is available online via eWay's website.