Based on figures by Vend old favourites such as clothes, homewares, jewellery and toys were still top of the list last Christmas.
However, there are some new products that have skyrocketed in sales including eco and reusable products, bath and body products and drones and virtual reality products.
Eco products in particular are proving to be a huge hit with shoppers. Purchases for items such as reusable coffee cups like Keep Cups have grown by 1000 per cent compared to the same period in 2017, while purchases of beeswax food wraps have increased by 600 per cent and bamboo straws have jumped by 420 per cent.
Tracey Bailey, founder of Biome Eco says reusable stainless steel straws and reusable bamboo straws are top sellers in her store.
“There is increased awareness of the effect plastic straws are having on our oceans due to the War On Waste show and the global movement highlighting that unless we change our consumption habits there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050,” she says.
In addition, Bailey says Bokashi compost bins are another hot trend due to the War On Waste show making people aware that home composting is a much better environmental outcome than sending food scraps to landfill.
Traditional toys are also still very popular as gifts. Lynda Bloxham, owner of Real Toys, which has been offering traditional non mass licensed toys for 10 years, says the big sellers are Playmobil (many ranges), craft and wooden marble runs, games both traditional and various off the beaten track titles like Slapzi and Tenzi.
“We had a shipment of Beanie Boos Flippables which pretty much sold out straight away and our new item the Ookkie skateboard also sold out quickly,” she says.
“We’ve also sold a lot of Micro scooters too. One of our favourite items to sell is the Australian Girl doll and accessories. They go very well all year round, but especially at Christmas.”
David Scheine, Vend country manager for APAC adds that Christmas spending on pets and babies also continues to be a trend from previous years, with animal lovers shopping for popular items like dog toy stockings, reindeer pet costumes, and decorative collars.
“While purchases on baby-related items have grown by 42 per cent compared to last year,” he says.
