New eBay research has revealed how people will shop this Christmas, including the impact of Covid-19 on consumer spending.
One in three (31%) Australians say they will shop online more this year due to the pandemic, with one in four (24%) saying they will shop earlier with 44% already having started.
Australians say the biggest benefits of shopping online this Christmas are avoiding crowds (54%), getting better value/deals (43%) and saving time (40%). More than three-quarters (77%) of Australians say express shipping is important when Christmas shopping with Millennials coming out highest (88%).
Close to one-third (29%) of Australians have refused to buy a Christmas gift online when express shipping wasn’t available. Similarly, 65% are more inclined to buy if there is express shipping.
One in five (20%) say they will spend less due to their financial situation; however, 14% of Millennials say they will spend more to make up for a challenging year – double the Australian average of 7%.
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment options are on the rise with one in five (19%) Australians saying they will use BNPL this Christmas and Gen Z are the most likely to do so (28%).
eBay Australia’s Sophie Onikul said, “Express shipping is no longer a want for shoppers this Christmas season but a need, as consumers continue to battle with delivery delays. We tend to see more eBay Plus items bought in the lead up to Christmas and expect this to increase this year given members receive free express metro shipping across millions of items.
“eBay Plus offers great benefits to both buyers and sellers. As an eBay Plus seller, listings see up to a 17% item view uplift and provide access to eBay’s most engaged buyers, meaning sellers have more opportunity to showcase their products to eBay’s nearly 12-million unique monthly visitors.”