Unwrap exclusive insights into festive shopping
Hoping to enjoy your happiest holiday season yet? Discover exclusive insights into how shoppers spent last year and how they’ll hit the shops in 2024 with this new report.
‘Tis the season for friends, family, summer - and hitting your sales goals.
To help merchants get holiday ready, we’ve produced Festive Insights: Unwrapped, featuring an analysis of last year’s spending trends, as well exclusive insights into how consumers will shop in 2024.
Download the full report or read on for highlights.
Forget the 12 days of Christmas
You’re not imagining it; the festive season really is starting earlier and earlier. In 2023, holiday sales kicked off in late October and spiked during Singles Day and Click Frenzy, before peaking over Cyber Weekend*.
This year, 44% of Afterpay shoppers will get a headstart on present purchasing during Black Friday and Cyber Weekend (and high-income shoppers are especially likely to purchase)*. The closer it gets to Christmas, the more likely shoppers will head in-store to purchase.
Tip: Stay one step ahead by kicking off any digital advertising campaigns early; that way you’ll build your first-party audiences before CPMs rise.
It’s a very omni moment
Although 1.7m shoppers bought all their Christmas presents online last year, another 1.3m purchased both online and in-store. And those that did purchase across in-store and online, spent 30% more than online-only customers*.
Tip: Don’t forget in-store customers; drive an uplift in omnichannel sales this festive season by making sure your customers know you have Afterpay online and in-store too.
Meet the ‘appiest festive marketplace
Mobile shopping and Afterpay in-app purchases are on the rise, and last year, 31m shoppers visited Afterpay’s app during the final quarter of the year. On average they spent 10 minutes per session and the total in-app spend was up 20% on last year*.
Tip: Mobile holiday sales are projected to be three times that of in-store purchases in 2024, so make sure your e-commerce site is mobile-friendly and that your listing on Afterpay’s Shop Directory is up to date. (Head to Business Hub to make any updates.)
Top trending gifts in 2023
Apparel, experiences and food and drinks topped the most-purchased lists last year.
1 Shirts & Tops
2 Event Tickets
3 Food & Beverage
4 Dresses
5 Gift Cards & Certificates*
Afterpay is a festive fundamental
Last Christmas, 3.2m Aussies and Kiwis used Afterpay to make 35.4m purchases during the holiday season*.
This season, Afterpay is set to be just as popular. Nearly three-quarters of younger shoppers plan to use Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services this year**.
Of those who will use BNPL, 23% will use it “as much as possible” and 41% will use it for half their spending**.
Tip: Do your customers know you have Afterpay? Given that 48% of Afterpay users would shop elsewhere if Afterpay wasn’t available^, it’s important to ensure that customers - both online and in-store - know that you offer Afterpay. Head to Afterpay’s marketing resources centre to download templates and customisable social media posts that will help you promote your partnership with Afterpay.
Want more insights and tips? Download the full report here.
All references to any registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Afterpay does not endorse or recommend any one particular supplier and the information provided is for educational purposes only.
*Source: Afterpay internal data for the period of 1st October to 31st December 2023, Australia and New Zealand. **Source: Afterpay Holiday Consumer survey, 2024, Australia. ^Source: Afterpay Brand Equity Tracking, Australia and New Zealand, Wave 8, November 2023.
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