Australia's clothing & footwear retail sales rise 1.3% in August 2023

When compared to August 2022, the growth is more significant in Australia’s retail sector, registering a 1.5 per cent increase.

The country’s other retailing experienced a growth of 0.7 per cent or $37.4 million in seasonally adjusted terms for August, as per ABS.

However, while physical retail sectors enjoyed growth, the digital space reflected some challenges. Total online retail sales for August 2023 amounted to $3,560.4 million in seasonally adjusted terms. Notably, there was a decline of 1 per cent, which is a reduction of $35.5 million, coming after an even steeper fall of 7.9 per cent or $308.9 million in July 2023. Through-the-year online sales also saw a minor decline of 0.1 per cent, which equates to a decrease of $5.3 million.

Despite the monthly drop in online sales, original sales in August 2023 surged by 1.9 per cent, an increment of $67.4 million. The landscape of online non-food retailing sales also shifted slightly. The proportion in comparison to total non-food retailing increased from 16.4 per cent in the previous month to 16.5 per cent in August. In broader terms, when observing total retailing, the proportion of online sales grew from 10.5 per cent in July 2023 to 10.6 per cent in August 2023.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DP)