The National Retail Association (NRA) has predicted consumers are on track to drop a hefty $48 billion of festive cheer, during the busiest time of year for the nation’s retailers.
NRA CEO Dominique Lamb says that, despite sluggish retail spending, retailers will be run off their feet until December 31.
“Retailers have been preparing for months, recruiting extra staff who can take care of the extra foot traffic, help indecisive consumers find the right gift, as well as keep those piles of crumpled clothes and muddled-up racks under control, all without breaking a sweat!” she said.
“Students in particular love this time of year, as they can stock up on as many shifts as possible while they’re not in semester, and we’re seeing a great deal of workers choosing to maximise their earning capacity now to fund travel through the year.”
The NRA says other services, such as Australia Post’s Shipster offering, are indicative of ways the industry is working together to cater better to shoppers’ growing need for speed and convenience.
“Stores with physical and online footprints have been using better data-analytics tools this year ahead of the busy period to assess their channels and streamline their e-commerce portals,” Ms Lamb said.
“Retailers have really upped the ante on their fulfilment and delivery services this year, and will be using rapidly advancing technology to give more accurate feedback on changing consumer needs, to offer even better services into 2018.”
