The lure of heavy pre-Christmas discounts and the ever increasing force of online shopping, is causing shoppers to abandon their stated plans of shopping before December.
Nationally, the online shopping frenzy is expected to peak this week, with both local and overseas e-retailers preparing for AUD1.5 billion to hit their virtual tills in the period. The Retail Council says AUD4.9 billion (USD3.6b) will be spent online in the 30 days to Christmas.
eBay is forecasting the "highest velocity" in transactions before Christmas will occur between 9pm and 9.15pm on Monday, with 14 gifts being purchased per second, as opposed to an average of six gifts per second over the day. It says mobile shopping will overtake desktop activity for the first time in Australia on Monday, with 60 percent of the half a million transactions to occur on mobile phones.
(Source: The Sydney Morning Herald Online )