Retailers expect a small percentage increase over 2011 which would be in line with Christmas lead-up sales which were generally flat. The ARA and Roy Morgan Research predicted that sales in the period from Boxing Day through to mid-January would increase by just 1% over last year. In the US, retail sales for the two months leading up to Christmas increased by only 0.7%.
Credit card use showed a jump with NAB reporting a 30% increase over last year and nearly 4 million card transactions for the day.