Based on a survey of executives and senior management from Australian retailers, the ninth annual Deloitte Retailers’ Christmas Survey 2020 analyses their sentiment for the Christmas period, key trends and their expectations and priorities for 2021.  

2020 has been unprecedented in terms of the challenges retail has faced – bushfires, a pandemic and port disruptions. This year has challenged the very fabric of Australian retail, yet it remains resilient. As retailers look beyond lockdowns to the all-important Christmas trading period, this year’s survey shows a two-speed retail highway, with some retailers in the fast lane and others seemingly stuck in first. After a long year, retailers across Australia will be counting on consumers safely stepping out of the bubble this Christmas - in store and in the home. 

Key survey findings:

• 74% of retailers say Jobkeeper has helped them avoid redundancies during the pandemic
• Strong polarisation in growth expectations: 39% of retailers expect Christmas sales to exceed 2019 by more than 5%; contrasting with 24% who expect them to decline by more than 5%
• 71% expect online sales during Christmas to exceed the same period last year 
• The proportion of respondents expecting over 10% of their total sales to be online this Christmas is 44%, the highest in the history of the survey.
  
  

Read a detailed analysis of our survey findings here.

Read our media release.

Previous editions

• 2019 Retailers' Christmas Survey
• 2018 Retailers’ Christmas Survey
• 2017 Retailers’ Christmas Survey
• 2016 Retailers’ Christmas Survey
• 2015 Retailers’ Christmas Survey

Published: November 2020