The Carousel’s resident shopping expert talks to Afterpay’s EVP ANZ Sales and Global Instore Rachel Kelly about the latest shopping trends following the launch of the Afterpay Bi-Annual Global Trends Report
With Aussies being mindful of their spending in the COVID 19 economy, what behaviour have we seen to date and what is anticipated for the Christmas shopping period?
As can be expected, we’ve seen an increase in the tracking of finances with three in five (60%) Australians saying that budgeting has become more important since the Pandemic. This has led to them taking a closer look at how they are spending with more than half (53%) of Australians saying they’re moving away from credit/interest based services and almost a quarter (23%) saying that the ability to pay off a purchase in instalments is more important to them now than before the pandemic.
We’ve also found that more than half (52%) of the Australian population have said they’re more likely to purchase an item if they have the ability to pay in interest-free instalments, so I think we can expect to see a lot of our 2020 Christmas shopping paid for in this way with services such as Afterpay.
In the wake of the pandemic, we’ve also seen the ‘support small’ mentality has grown with 65% of Australians making a conscious effort to shop locally. This is a much needed boost many Australian small businesses need, with the Christmas shopping period an opportunity to create sales, following such a turbulent year.
In terms of specific gifts, we’ve seen a huge increase in purchases in areas such as gardening, hobbies, games, home, beauty and entertainment – so we think we’ll see this come through in potential gifting options this Christmas.
Managing finances is front of mind for many Aussies right now, how has Afterpay responded?
With financial responsibility and financial wellness rising to the top of the priority ladder for so many Australians, we introduced two new features, back in August; visibility into a customers’ estimated spend limit, and the ability to pay off some or all of an outstanding balance ahead of a scheduled payment, giving customers complete freedom and empowerment to manage their budget and cash flow accordingly.
What is expected purchasing behaviour for Christmas 2020…will shoppers shop up to the last minute for Christmas or will shoppers do most of the retail shopping early, in sales like Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Click Frenzy?
I think we’ll see an increase in budget conscious shoppers taking advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year. With a little bit of planning, Christmas costs can be reduced significantly by utilising key sales periods and by paying it off in interest free instalments.
Shop with Afterpay here: Afterpay.com
