Positive Momentum Continues Across Australian Retail into the New Year
Monthly KRI Summary
Discover key insights in the latest Australian Kepler Retail Market Index for January 2026.
Comparison Period: The following insights are based on comparing the four-week retail month of January this year (29th December – 25th January 2026) to the same period last year (30th December- 26th January 2025)
Foot Traffic Trends:
- Passer-by traffic declined -1.8% YoY in January, continuing a modest softening trend over the past three months (3-month average: -0.2% YoY). While peak trading periods were slightly below last year (Christmas -1.0% YoY; Boxing Day -3.2% YoY), the overall decline remains contained given strong prior-year comparatives
- In-store traffic increased +2.9% YoY in January, rebounding strongly from December’s flat performance (+0.1% YoY) and indicating improving customer engagement despite softer external footfall
Sales Conversion and Transactions Performance:
- Sales conversion declined marginally by -0.3% YoY in January, a significant improvement from November’s -3.0% decline. January outperformed key peak trading periods (Black Friday, Christmas, Boxing Day), all of which recorded larger conversion declines ranging from -3.0% to -1.0%
- Transactions increased +2.6% YoY in January, marking a strong rebound from November’s -1.0% decline, reflecting improved in-store engagement converting into sales
Average Transaction Values (ATVs):
- Average Transaction Values (ATVs) increased +2.1% YoY in January, broadly in line with the 3-month average of +2.3% YoY, consistent with other peak period increases of 2.0% – 3.0%
Sales Performance:
- Sales grew 4.7% YoY in January, a significant improvement on the +2.3% YoY in December. This continued the positive sales trend observed during peak periods (Black Friday, Christmas, Boxing Day), providing strong momentum heading into February
About Kepler’s Retail Market Index
- Kepler’s Retail Market Index provides the most insightful and most timely view of retail industry performance across both Australia and New Zealand
- The index is based on anonymised data from Kepler’s Retail Foot Traffic Solution customers, primarily non-food specialty retailers
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