Spending frenzy: Christmas shoppers set a record for 2024

Christmas shoppers have been busy today but transaction numbers are down from previous years, according to Worldline. Photo / Alex Burton

Today is the busiest shopping day of the year, Worldline figures show.

The payments firm said activity peaked between midday and 1pm today with 607,299 transactions for the hour.

The peak minute was 12.09pm with 10,408 transactions, and the peak second was 12.02:15pm with 179 transactions.

But this year’s peak for the hour is behind that of 2019 when there were 679,436 transactions in the same period. The record for the peak minute was in 2020 when there were 11,791 transactions at 12.09pm and that year also had the peak second – 12.16:45pm.

Figures on how much was spent will be available later this week.

Earlier this month Worldline said consumer spending processed through all merchants (excluding hospitality) in its payments network during the first 14 days of December reached $1.65 billion, which was up 1.2% on the same period of December 2023.

Worldline NZ’s chief sales officer Bruce Proffit said while the usual December spending build-up to Christmas Day was above the same time last year, there are mixed patterns across the regions.

“Although spending at this point in December is slightly up on last year, the rate of growth did slip a little in the second week” he said.

Proffit said spending growth was strongest in Wairarapa (+6%), Whanganui (+5.2%), Hawke’s Bay (+4.8%) and Gisborne (+4.8%), but below year-ago levels in Palmerston North (-0.9%), Wellington (-0.7%), Bay of Plenty (-0.7%), Auckland/Northland (-0.3%) and Marlborough (-0.1%).

He also said the average transaction value for the first two weeks of December was $51.47, down 1.1% from the $52.05 average for Deccember 1-14, 2023.