The COVID-19 pandemic changed how much Australians shopped and the way we did it, as research shows significant jumps in spending on clothing, recreation, household equipment and food.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But as the gulf between lockdowns and retail closures of the past two years widens, experts say it's still too soon to know if pandemic influences on our shopping habits will be permanent.
Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre research fellow Dr Silvia Salazar said lockdowns increased Australians' consumption through online shopping - and it's stayed high ever since.
"Because our borders were closed there have been a lot of savings that were accumulated during the pandemic and people basically used the savings that they would normally use to travel abroad to stay to buy things here in Australia," she said.
"The way we shopped changed because people were less likely to go to the shops, so if you look at, for instance, [Australian Bureau of Statistics] data on online shopping, it has increased really significantly."
According to the ABS's latest household spending data, recorded until September this year, Australians are spending 28 per cent more compared to the same time in 2021.
The numbers also showed household spending was 19.8 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels in September 2019.
The largest increases from the pre-pandemic period were in clothing and footwear, up 35.1 per cent, recreation and culture with a 31.4 per cent increase, and furnishings and household equipment at 24.7 per cent.
We also spent more on food, with a rise of 17.6 per cent.
Dr Salazar said the uptake in online shopping for some Australians over the past two years was a "learning curve" that was hard to come back from.
"Once you cross that path and you realise that it might be more convenient for you, or that you can get items that you cannot really get at the shops, that definitely modifies your habit," she said.
With Click Frenzy and Black Friday sales, there is a growing list of retailers participating in primarily online shopping events.
Click Frenzy sales have grown significantly in Australia since it started in 2012, initially as a single event in November to now having multiple Click Frenzy events throughout the year, such as Click Frenzy Mayhem in May and Click Frenzy Julove in July.
A spokesperson for the ABS said there was no data that measured the specific impact of sales from Click Frenzy and upcoming Black Friday sales, particularly through the pandemic years.
"Looking back over the past two years during the pandemic, it is difficult to disentangle the COVID-19 impacts on sales and it is important to note that the November month in both 2020 and 2021 would have received a boost from these events," the spokesperson said.
"With that said, caution should be used given the significant bounce back in spending from state-based COVID-19 lockdowns ending in Victoria [in] 2020 and 2021, NSW and the ACT [in] 2021."
The spokesperson also said businesses had reported a shift in consumers bringing forward their usual Christmas shopping to earlier months that coincided with these sales events.
"However ... the anecdotal evidence does not suggest the shift in behaviour is permanent and is difficult to quantify the contribution to overall spending," the spokesperson said.
"Anecdotal evidence also points to an increase in eCommerce spending over the past two years aided by the pandemic, with consumers becoming more savvy and comfortable shopping online throughout lockdowns.
"However, it is unknown whether this shift in behaviour will be sustained longer-term."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Curtin Economics' Dr Salazar said, outside of the pandemic, high levels spending could be attributed to the nation's high employment rate.
However, with rising inflation - up 1.8 per cent in the last quarter and 7.3 annualised this year - and recent interest rate rises, Dr Salazar said Australians' spending would eventually slow.
"A lot of people are employed, that means there is also more disposable income in the economy that is fostering more [spending]," she said.
"I think when people realise how much are they really spending, how much more they are spending for their mortgages so forth, they might just slow down the demand for a lot of goods."
