Christmas 2016 Wrap Up: Modest Grocery Performance Despite Spike in Online Sales

December 2016 will be remembered as one of the hottest festive periods on recent record in Australia. However, grocery sales during this peak period remained cool, with just 1{845d44a2f09c0018d802e19e78941a85dc2180e4ed7410cee0b34e8cb134ecea} growth in dollars spent during the four-week period ending 31 December 2016 compared with the same period in 2015 – well below the annual growth rate for total grocery.

Six percent of Australian households sourced their Christmas groceries online, spending a total of $208 over the December month. Overall, online grocery sales in the month of December grew by 19{845d44a2f09c0018d802e19e78941a85dc2180e4ed7410cee0b34e8cb134ecea} compared with December 2015 and ahead of the 2016 year average of 16{845d44a2f09c0018d802e19e78941a85dc2180e4ed7410cee0b34e8cb134ecea} growth.

Nielsen retail performance data shows that despite sluggish overall takings at the tills, grocery categories such as fresh berries, mangoes, avocados, mineral water, and fresh prawns surged; reporting the biggest jump in both volume and value sales compared to the same period in 2015. Pork and lamb also recorded notable increases versus 12 months prior. Nielsen – Read more…​