Insights, tools and practical guidance to help retailers make the most of peak season
From planning and forecasting to fulfilment, delivery and returns, make sure your business is ready for the demands of peak.
How ready are you for peak? Assess your readiness and identify areas that may need attention.
Practical guidance to help you prepare for increased demand and manage the peak customer and delivery experience.
A practical checklist to help you work through the key areas of peak preparation.
Delivery | Fulfilment | Returns | Parcel Lockers
Founder & CEO,
She’s On The Money
CEO,
Australian Retail Council (ARC)
Build practical retail skills with focused Retail Institute accredited courses and micro-courses.
How to set goals, follow brand guidelines, schedule content, and use insights to improve future posts.
Duration: 20 minutes
Price: $25
Gives learners with the skills to set up and maintain visual displays that are safe, attractive and esy to shop.
Duration: 20 minutes
Price: $25
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Practical guidance for preparing for peak.
How online spend is shifting and where to focus now to win Peak 2026.
Check Australia Post’s final sending dates to help ensure gifts and cards arrive in time for Christmas.
Consumer behaviour and retail trends shaping the year ahead.
How shoppers will discover, compare and buy this holiday season, including how AI and value maxxing are changing the path to purchase.
Build practical retail capability through focused learning.
Managing workplace risks during the festive period.
Check back often, as we are adding new resources all the time.
Explore the latest retail data, consumer insights, practical tools and expert resources to help you navigate peak season.
Proudly supported by
Proudly supported by our Strategy Partner Australia Post
With the end-of-year shopping season fast approaching, this hub offers a specially curated collection of reports, and consumer spending insights, all designed to enhance your strategic holiday planning. Recognising the paramount importance of Christmas in the retail calendar, we are dedicated to providing you with the essential tools and insights needed for a successful season, this year and for many more to come.
Explore our carefully selected resources to navigate the holiday retail landscape with confidence.
Projected spend 2026, up 4% on 2025
Projected sales in 2026, up 4% on 2025
Here’s a snapshot of 2026 gifting trends for Australian consumers.
Forecast for 2025 gift spending, up $200 million (+1.7%) on 2025
New resources will be added periodically.
Get the Australia Post Peak Playbook for all the tips on labelling, packaging, returns and more – in one handy document.
Level-up your parcel preparation with these how-to videos, designed to help you keep peak season running smoothly.
From tracking to delivery and returns, they’re ideal to retrain or refresh your teams ahead of the sales season.
Holiday cheer is returning to Australian shoppers, with Deloitte’s 14th Retail Holiday Report revealing optimism for the festive season. Despite cost-of-living pressures, consumers are seeking value, convenience and seamless experiences.
Discover how AI, global marketplaces and in-store traditions are shaping retail this Christmas.
Consider this your seasonal playbook: a guide to this year’s consumer sentiment, spending intentions and expectations. Plus, the strategies that will keep your brand relevant, visible and chosen, when it matters most.
The bottom line: Holidays are connections, not chaos. The brands that understand this will sleigh the season.
Presenting the Christmas & Holidays Trading Hours Summary for 2026-2027, a practical resource designed to guide retailers through this busy period.
This page outlines trading hours for the upcoming summer shopping season, providing an overview of when businesses are expected to open and close their doors during the festive holiday period depending on their location and exemption status.
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The holiday season can be a stressful time for everyone, including customers.
Prepare yourself and your team to confidently and effectively manage challenging customer situations during the busy Christmas period.
Learn strategies to diffuse tensions while ensuring a positive shopping experience for everyone, minimising negative impacts on you, your colleagues, other shoppers and the customer.
Two ways to access the training that best suits your needs.
The Australian Retail Council can refer trained graduates from our Certificate II and Certificate III in Retail programs, just in time for the holiday rush.
Our graduates will have excellent customer service skills including the art of engaging and managing customers to ensure they are retail ready to add value to your teams.
This is the perfect opportunity to source your next recruits directly from our programs at no cost. If you are looking for staff, please reach out to the ARA Retail Institute to learn more.
Forecast Black Friday & Cyber Monday spend
Forecast six-week pre-Christmas retail sales
Forecast pre-Christmas retail sales growth
Shoppers want a range of delivery options at checkout
Here’s a snapshot of 2026 gifting trends for Australian consumers.
Forecast for 2025 gift spending, up $200 million (+1.7%) on 2025
Shoppers want a
range of delivery
options at checkout
Australia Post
Forecast six-week
pre-Christmas retail
sales
Roy Morgan
Forecast pre-
Christmas retail
sales growth
Roy Morgan
Forecast Black
Friday & Cyber
Monday spend
Roy Morgan
Sources: Roy Morgan Retail Sales Forecasts, August 2026; Australia Post.
Average basket size fell to a record low
of $90, down 5% year-on-year
Shoppers are becoming increasingly value-
driven, with 46% more price conscious and
34% switching to lower-cost alternatives
