Christmas wrapped up, stacked up, and ready to read: retailers

WITH THE Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and Roy Morgan predicting Australians to spend over $7.3 billion in the ‘Other retailing’ category during the Christmas trading period from November 9 to December 24, 2018, the ARA suspect books will be piled high under the Christmas tree this year.

The ARA believes physical and online books will contribute marginally to the ‘Other retailing’ category, with the ARA and Roy Morgan projecting a 2.7 percent increase in sales for this category in the lead-up to Christmas.

Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the ARA, said retailers who specialised in books would be preoccupied with filling orders for customers who will be purchasing books to gift to their families and friends for the big day.

“With Christmas only a little over a week away, Dymocks are estimating over 2 million books to be sold in the lead-up to Christmas, accounting for 30 percent of total books sales,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“As a subsequence, book retailers will be experiencing a significant increase in the amount of pre-orders being placed through the stores and customers will be flocking to the shops to secure the perfect reads for their loved ones.”

Findings from Nielsen BookScan detect that online book merchants will also receive an influx in sales, with the last four weeks of the year accounting for 17 percent of total annual sales value. Nielsen BookScan have also noticed a growth in physical book sales, with a 1.3 percent increase so far this year.

Sophie Higgins, head of marketing and merchandise at Dymocks, said this year's non-fiction category will notice a buoyant incline from 39-50 percent of total sales, with biographies and cookbooks influencing the surge.

“With the likes of Shane Warne, Leigh Sales and Michelle Obama’s biographies hitting the shelves, customers have been eager to get their hands on some of the biggest titles to come out this year,” Ms Higgins said.

“Cookbooks are always a fan favourite for Christmas, and with bestsellers coming from Jamie Oliver, Donna Hay, Yotam Ottlenghi and Annabel Crabb, Aussies will have endless recipes to trial and master.”

Australian fiction has also experienced a resurgence in the lead-up to Christmas, with top-five Australian authors, including Matthew Reilly, Liane Moriarty, Jane Harper and Kate Morton, releasing new titles this year.

“It is quite pleasing to see bibliophiles supporting homegrown authors. With such a rich breadth of talent to select from, consumers will have their shelves full of intriguing and thought-provoking novels this Christmas,” Mr Zimmerman said.

According to Dymocks, children’s books will also see a 150 percent sales spike during the festive season. With pre-orders for author Jessica Townsend exceeding 1100, children’s imaginations will be filled with exciting stories and adventures to share with their friends and family.

"Whether you’re a lover of non-fiction, cookbooks or novels, or simply wish to spoil your child with captivating tales, there are anabundance of spectacular page turners to unwrap for Christmas this year," Mr Zimmerman said.

 

ARA Roy Morgan Pre-Christmas Sales Predictions

November 9 – December 24, 2018

2018 Pre-Christmas Sales Growth by Category

Category	2017 Pre-Christmas actual results ($mil)	2018 Pre-Christmas sales forecast ($mil)	Predicted Growth
FOOD	20163	20908	3.7%
HH GOODS	8757	8931	2.0%
APPAREL	3906	4028	3.1%
DEPARTMENT STORES	2935	2943	0.3%
OTHER	7127	7321	2.7%
HOSPITALITY	7117	7348	3.2%
NATIONAL	50005	51479	2.9%

[ARA / ROY MORGAN]

 

2018 Pre-Christmas Sales Growth by State

State	2017 Pre-Christmas actual results ($mil)	2018 Pre-Christmas sales forecast ($mil)	Predicted Growth
NSW	16132	16629	3.1%
VIC	12843	13512	5.2%
QLD	9907	10071	1.7%
SA	3320	3422	3.1%
WA	5395	5366	-0.5%
TAS	998	1038	4.0%
NT	495	501	1.2%
ACT	914	940	2.9%
NATIONAL	50005	51479	2.9%

[ARA / ROY MORGAN]

https://www.retail.org.au/christmas-predictions/

 

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the retail industry’s peak representative body representing Australia’s $310 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. The ARA works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 7,500 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

About Dymocks:

Dymocks is Australia’s leading bookseller, with 59 stores in Australia and over 7 million books sold last year. Dymocks aims to inspire more booklovers by delivering the best customer experience through its range and passionately knowledgeable team.

About Nielsen BookScan:

Nielsen BookScan is the world’s first continuous retail sales monitoring service for print books, based on electronic point of sale data collected directly from tills and dispatch systems.

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