Mirakl, an enterprise marketplace platform, has released the results of its 2021 Christmas Shopping Survey showing that consumers are approaching their Christmas shopping differently across the globe, influenced largely by the impact of supply chain disruptions and the growth of online shopping throughout Covid-19 and beyond.
In Australia, respondents reported a surge in online Christmas shopping over the last two years, with those reporting their Christmas shopping being done online nearly doubling from 2019 to 2021. In 2019, Australia had the least amount of Christmas shopping being done online globally at 24 per cent, but for 2021 that number has almost doubled to 42 per cent.
Although the biggest jump in Christmas online shopping for Australians occurred between 2019 and 2020 in the first year of the pandemic, in 2021 online Christmas shopping has continued to increase, indicating that this trend is here to stay even with lockdowns ended and restrictions lifted.
“Amid a backdrop of supply chain disruptions and unpredictable product availability, global consumers are starting their Christmas shopping earlier than ever before and using online shopping to avoid disappointment,” Adrien Nussenbaum, co-founder and co-CEO of Mirakl says.
“The data from our Christmas Shopping Survey offers proof that many of the temporary behavioural changes originally brought on by the global pandemic are becoming permanent. In particular, shoppers are increasing their use of online marketplaces to help reduce costs and ensure gifts arrive on time, with marketplaces seeing the greatest gains among coveted frequent shoppers.
“It’s especially interesting to see the incredible surge in online Christmas shopping in Australia, with the number of Aussies doing their Christmas shopping online almost doubling since 2019. We found that Australians are starting and finishing Christmas shopping earlier than almost any other country, which likely shows the impact the last 18 months has had on shopping behaviour.”
An early start for Christmas shopping
Mirakl found more than half (51 per cent) of Australian consumers are shopping online earlier for Christmas gifts in 2021 than in previous years, with an impressive number planning to start their shopping before December (71 per cent) and only two per cent planning to start shopping at the last minute on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
The survey results showed that 46 per cent of Australians are planning to do their Christmas shopping early to avoid shipping delays this year.
Why are we shopping on online marketplaces?
More than seven in 10 Australians are open to doing some Christmas shopping on online marketplaces this year. Those who plan to shop on online marketplaces reported that the main driver of using an online marketplace for this shopping is the ability to offer better prices than traditional ecommerce (57 per cent).
This is consistent with global results with nearly two thirds (60 per cent) of shoppers across the globe citing better prices as a reason why they’re using online marketplaces this Christmas season. Nearly all respondents (94 per cent) say they plan to maintain (or increase) their frequency of shopping on online marketplaces.
Globally, the increase in online shopping was also reflected in the use of online marketplaces, which has grown as shoppers look for lower prices (60 per cent), better product selections (40 per cent), and faster delivery this Christmas (50 per cent). The report adds new context to the growth of online marketplaces from the consumer’s perspective and further underscores the market opportunity for marketplace operators and businesses looking to sell through these marketplaces.
