Retail insights
Industry dashboard
From jobs and consumer confidence to spending and inflation, this dashboard captures the key metrics shaping Australia’s retail landscape
Australian Retail Economy
Value of retail economy (ABS)
Retail Workforce
1.4m
Australians work in retail (ABS)
Retail Jobs
Vacancies across the retail sector (ABS)
$38.63b
Retail spend January 2026, +5% YoY (ABS)
3.8%
CPI indicator rose 3.8% in the 12 months to December 2025 (ABS)
68.5
Consumer confidence March 2026, -15.3pts YoY (Roy Morgan)
9.8m
households shopped online in 2025, with 41% shopping online at least fortnightly, +117,000 YoY (Australia Post)
of Australians have someone close to them working in retail or work in retail themselves (Redbridge)
27.8m
Population of Australia (ABS)
Industry insights & reports
Seasonal Retail Events
Source: All figures supplied by Roy Morgan.
spend forecast for 2026, +$200m YoY
Back to School
expected spend in 2026, +2.5% YoY
Valentine's Day
spend forecast on food and chocolate in 2025
Easter Holidays
predicted spend in 2025, +7.5% YoY
Mother's Day
predicted spend in 2025, +3.9% YoY
EOFY Sales
predicted spend in 2025, -$100m YoY
Father's Day
projected spend in 2025, +11% YoY
Halloween Night
projected sales in 2025, +4% YoY
Black Friday / Cyber Monday
projected spend in 2025, +4% YoY
Christmas
projected spend in 2025, +4.3% YoY