What to expect this sale season

Last year’s peak season broke online shopping records, highlighting evolving consumer behaviour and new strategies from retailers. Our October Quarterly eCommerce Report (PDF 4.9MB) is an essential resource for preparing for the peak sales season ahead.

So, what’s in store for 2025?

Consumers are ready to shop 

Last year, consumers shopped with more retailers, received more parcels and spent more overall, yet average basket sizes fell.  

Shoppers are excited about the 2025 peak season.

• 50% say they’re looking forward to the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period, up 10% from last year.¹
• Three in four say they’re waiting for sales events.¹ 

Businesses are preparing for a busy peak sales season

Almost half of businesses are expecting a busier peak season this year compared with 2024 due to easing interest rates and improved consumer sentiment. Indeed, shopper confidence is at a 3.5-year high.² It’s a great time for retailers to tap into growing demand. 

• Businesses are planning earlier than ever, with about one-third starting sales preparation from September. 
• Peak season sale events are now the norm for most businesses. Just 9% of medium and large enterprises and 20% of micro and small businesses aren’t planning to participate.¹

Shoppers want 30-40% off

It’s no surprise that shoppers love a bargain, and they’re hoping for bigger discounts than ever this sale season. 

• 30-40% discount is what consumers are hoping for this year, more than the 20-30% off they hoped for last year.¹
• Just over one-third of businesses plan to deliver, with the average discount holding at 20-30%.¹

Overall, shopper’s wish lists aren’t yet matching retailer’s plans

Alongside discounts, shoppers are seeking free shipping, longer sales periods and faster delivery.

A focus on speed

“Peak season is like our Grand Final. Shoppers want the parcel faster than ever - they want it now,” explains Christelle Young, Managing Director of T2. 

This peak season businesses are planning for faster delivery, including free upgrades to next day and same day. They’re also working towards quicker fulfilment, which can be a challenge. Most businesses take two days to fulfil and add an average of one extra day during peak season.¹

Shoppers ‘start the clock’ on delivery when the order is placed – so it’s critical to maximise fulfilment speed to help parcels arrive quickly and boost your customers’ delivery experience. Many retailers are considering modern automation solutions including AI and robotic fulfilment.

In the busy peak period, it’s essential to ensure customers are kept updated on their parcel’s progress. “Once an order has left our DC, we often point our community to the AusPost app, especially if they need to make a quick update to their delivery address. It’s the fastest way to make changes and stay across tracking updates, and a more seamless experience all round,” explains Kailey Burton, Community Experience Head Coach at LSKD. 

Retailers also work closely with their Australia Post Account Managers to ensure sending is optimised. “Australia Post supports our load planning, so we have resources available to collect our product and understand the network itself,” says Murilo Fabri, Head of Operations at LSKD.

Black Friday is just around the corner

As shoppers delay purchases in anticipation of sales, Black Friday presents an opportunity to win new customers and deliver an exceptional experience to keep them shopping with you in non-sales periods. Take a look at our tips for creating a Black Friday sales strategy to excite customers. 

This article was originally published on 23 January 2025 and has been updated with new information.