Australians and New Zealanders are rethinking how they’ll spend this Christmas, from Black Friday sales and shopping in-store to using AI to find the best deals.
To understand how they’re preparing for the festive season, we surveyed 2,027 people across Australia and New Zealand for our Christmas report this year.
Here’s what’s in the carts this Christmas:
Spending on Christmas feasts comes out ahead of gifts this year. In Australia, planned spending is AU$518 on food and drinks, compared with AU$487 on gifts. In New Zealand, it is NZ$456 on food and drinks and NZ$393 on gifts.
Christmas budgets are getting a rethink. Around 8 in 10 Aussies and Kiwis plan to adjust their festive spending and celebrations this year.
Black Friday is on the shopping list, helping bridge the Christmas budget gap! 58% of Aussies and 48% of Kiwis plan to buy Christmas gifts during Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales.
Despite growing up with online shopping at their fingertips, Aussie Gen Z still see the appeal of physical stores. 65% prefer shopping for Christmas gifts in-store, compared with half of Millennials.
AI is becoming a festive bargain hunter. Among those planning to use AI for Christmas shopping, 41% of Aussies and 46% of Kiwis will use it to compare prices or find deals.
Download our Australia & New Zealand Christmas & Black Friday Report 2026 to discover how Aussies and Kiwis plan to spend, shop and celebrate this festive season.
The infographic below showcases some of these key findings:
