ABS retail data: Black Friday sales and take-away meals surge as cost-of-living crisis

The cost-of-living crisis has pushed customers to Black Friday sales in big numbers, while take-away meals and bottle shop purchases have also seen a bounce.

Retail sales grew more than expected in October and lifted for the third straight month as discounted household goods appealed to savvy shoppers.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian retail turnover rose 0.6 per seasonally adjusted in October, building on 0.1 per cent in September and 0.7 per cent in August. Compared to the previous year, retail sales were up 3.4 per cent seasonally adjusted.

The big rise has been in online retail, which grew to $4.1 billion in October a rise of 9.6 per cent on the previous year. The data suggests customers were holding out for discounted products, having reduced their spending in September in anticipation of black Friday sales.

“The stronger than usual October month saw some retailers enticing buyers to spend early with discounting, particularly on discretionary items,” said ABS head of business statistics Robert Ewing.

The household goods retail sector saw the most impressive jump, up 1.4 per cent.

“The rise in discretionary spending was driven by online discounting events while people also spent more on electrical goods, particularly televisions and other audio-visual equipment,” Mr Ewing said.

In another sign of consumer value hunting, spending in restaurants and cafes shifted from dining in to takeaway, with spending on cafes, restaurants and catering services falling 0.3 per cent, while spending on takeaway rose 1.4 per cent.

Liquor was a standout of the food sector, rising by 1.7 per cent.

“The bounce back in food retailing is being driven by liquor retailers. This month liquor rose by 1.7 per cent, which sees liquor turnover return to a similar level as July 2024,” Mr Ewing said.