Australians are spending more on delivery services and furniture and less on gym membership
- Credit data firm Illion, economic advisory AlphaBeta released spending data
- They found food delivery service demand had surged by 258 per cent in May
- Spending on office supplies and furniture soared by 155 per cent in same period
- Gym spending plunged 94 per cent as fitness centres closed for COVID-19
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Australians are spending a lot more on food delivery and office furniture and a lot less on gym membership as a result of coronavirus.
Consumers are also surprisingly spending less at supermarkets after several weeks of panic buying and only a little bit more on TV streaming services and pharmacy medicines.
Credit data firm Illion and economic advisory group AlphaBeta analysed 250,000 credit card transactions from May 4 to 10 compared with a ‘normal week’ before COVID-19 hit.
They found food delivery service spending had surged by 258 per cent as demand for office furniture and supplies soared 155 per cent with more people working from home.
Australians are spending a lot more on food delivery (Menulog deliverer in Sydney pictured) with spending up 258 per cent. Credit data firm Illion and economic advisory group AlphaBeta analysed 250,000 credit card transactions from May 4 to 10 compared with a ‘normal week’ before COVID-19 hit
The closure of gyms on March 23, in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus, caused spending on fitness dive by 94 per cent, as exercise centres stopped direct debiting members and many Australians struggled to find weights at the shop.
COVID-19 restrictions also saw public transport spending plunge 80 per cent as white collar professionals worked from home.
Pub spending dived by 77 per cent and at cafes by 38 per cent as hospitality businesses, until last week in most states, were restricted to takeaway.
After a record surge in retail sales in March, sparked by unprecedented panic buying of toilet paper, pasta and rice, supermarket spending fell by one per cent in May.
Demand for office furniture and supplies soared 155 per cent with more people working from home. Pictured is an Officeworks store in Australia
Despite people spending more time at home, expenditure on subscription TV increased by just four per cent, with Australians locking in their deals with the likes of Netflix and Stan during the early stages of the COVID-19 lockdowns in March.
Pharmaceutical spending rose by a moderate 13 per cent, even though chemists and supermarkets were among the few essential businesses that were allowed to remain open during the stage three lockdowns.
Home improvement products, nonetheless, were more popular with spending on these items increasing by 57 per cent.
With bottle shops still allowed to trade during the lockdowns, alcohol and tobacco sales rose by 48 per cent.
Surprisingly, department store spending was up 44 per cent as retail giant Myer pivots from being a bricks and mortar retailer to an online seller of goods.
The closure of gyms on March 23, in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus, caused spending on fitness dive by 94 per cent, as exercise centres stopped direct debiting members and many Australians struggled to find weights at the shop. Pictured is a Sydney gym
