Australians are spending more money than they did this time last year, with many forking out for accommodation and restaurants in the lead up to Christmas.
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Retail sales were five per cent higher in November than they were a year ago, according to data released on Friday from Mastercard SpendingPulse.
There was a 21 per cent jump in accommodation sales, while there were also spending increases on restaurants (8.9 per cent), apparel (8.6 per cent) and electronics (2.6 per cent).
Higher grocery and petrol prices were also reflected in the latest data, with sales rising 10.3 per cent and 4.8 per cent respectively.
But people have spent less this year on home furnishings (down 4.1 per cent) and jewellery (down 1.2 per cent).
The overall uptick in spending was a good sign for shops and consumers, Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra said.
"After a couple of years of hibernation, we can see Australians are taking advantage of hospitality venues - flocking back to restaurants, enjoying home entertainment and domestic travel after the impact of lockdowns last year," he said.
"The ARA expects this to be the biggest Christmas on record for Australia, with Aussies predicted to spend $66 billion in the Christmas trading period."
Data from a workpod company also shows more Australians are trying to combine office work with completing their Christmas shopping.
Taskpod bookings have spiked, with cubes in downtown Sydney's World Square and Castle Towers shopping centres seeing a 750 per cent increase this month.
Reservations have also doubled for pods at Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall and Adelaide's Westfield Marion shopping hubs.
"Some of our busiest pods are seeing up to six hours of continuous usage as Aussies are tapping into the convenience of having a mobile office in the middle of a busy shopping centre," TaskPod co-founder Adam Morgan said.
"With Christmas next week, the retail locations are seeing enormous use right now.
"We believe this is due to workers finishing their last minute Christmas shopping during work time, and enjoying the convenience of being able to take a call or two while on the go."
The small TaskPod cubes are soundproof and come with a desk, chair, WiFi and a charging port.
Mr Morgan said there would be more TaskPod sites opening up in Bondi as a result of the demand.
Australian Associated Press
