Australians spend more in summer than any other season, with new analysis from Westpac DataX released by oOh!media showing $166 billion is splashed out between December and February.
The data highlights a significant uplift in consumer activity, with summer generating 16 million more transactions than winter.
Discretionary purchases alone rose by $2.9 billion, with categories such as supermarkets, fashion, cosmetics, electronics, and leisure all experiencing growth.
Jewellery spend increased 31 per cent, while office and education supplies rose 26 per cent as Australians prepared for the year ahead.
The seasonal surge begins in November, with $8.7 billion spent across the four-day period between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2024, nearly $1.5 million per minute. The momentum extended into January 2025, when retail spending reached $37 billion, up 3.8 per cent year-on-year.
Despite these figures, oOh!media said many brands still overlook summer as a critical marketing window. Melinda Duffy, head of product at oOh!media, said: “Summer is a high-mobility season when people are spending, socialising and travelling more than ever. At the same time, many traditional media channels go quiet. With the non-rating TV period and popular radio presenters taking leave, brands often reduce their presence in market, missing a key window to connect when Australians are most active and ready to spend.”
Melinda Duffy
Duffy said Out of Home (OOH) remains one of the few consistently visible channels across the season. She pointed to a Grey Goose *Vive La Vodka* campaign that ran last summer, which delivered a 21 per cent increase in buyers, a 34 per cent uplift in transactions, and a 14 per cent rise in brand penetration year-on-year.
Additional research from Analytic Partners supports the trend, finding OOH delivers a 2.6 per cent increase in advertising effectiveness during summer.
The findings were unveiled at an industry event hosted by oOh! at The Trust in Melbourne, attended by 100 agencies and clients. The event also featured consumer futurist Amanda Stevens, who delivered a keynote on ‘The Consumer of Tomorrow,’ exploring how evolving expectations, technology and shifting values are reshaping brand connections, particularly during the summer period.
Top image: Amanda Stevens