Australia Post expects Christmas 2015 will be one of the busiest years for parcel deliveries, anticipating a record 1.3 million parcels a day, driven by online shopping.

Australia Post say 87 per cent of consumers will shop online this Christmas compared with 52 per cent last year, after conducting a nationwide survey.

Catalysts driving people online were shopping online at a time that suits them (63 per cent), having gifts delivered to their door (53 per cent), avoiding busy car parks and big crowds (52 per cent) and easily comparing prices at the touch of a button (50 per cent).

“They also want peace of mind that their payment information is secure so prepaid cards such as the load and go reloadable visa card are often favoured over credit cards and have the added benefit of helping control spending,” said Christine Corbett, Australia Post executive general manager postal and e-commerce services.

The survey also found that on average each consumer buys about 10 Christmas presents and spends about $364 in total. 25-34 year olds are more likely to shop online this Christmas (63 per cent vs 49 per cent to total sample) while people aged over 65, empty nesters and people with household incomes of $20-40k per annum are the groups who are unlikely to shop online (42 per cent, 35 per cent, 36 per cent respectively, compared to the 23 per cent of total sample).

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