National Australia Bank data released today has revealed slight online sales growth in December from the previous month, with electronic games and toys, and homewares and appliances among the top performing categories.NAB’s Online Retail Sales Index monthly update showed modest sales growth of 0.1 per cent in December following a 0.3 per cent decline in November.
Year-on-year, however, sales were up 8.9 per cent for December.
In dollar terms, NAB estimates Australians spent $16.4 billion on online retail in the 12 months to December 2014, equivalent to 6.8 per cent of spending at traditional brick and mortar retailers.
NAB’s estimate excludes cafes, restaurants and takeaway food, creating a like-for-like comparison of Australian Bureau of Statistics data in the 12 months to November 2014.
Electronic games and toys posted 14 per cent online sales growth in December, however growth for the latter was down from circa 40 per cent over the past two months.
Homewares and appliances rebounded from a contraction in November to post 10 per cent growth, while other growth areas included department and variety stores (8 per cent), media (7 per cent), and personal and recreational goods (2 per cent).
