Australians Spent $175 Billion Last Summer

Australians spent $175 billion during the 2025/26 summer season, marking a $9 billion increase over the previous year according to Westpac DataX analysis released by oOh!media Limited (ASX:OML). The 5.4 percent rise came as households continued to navigate ongoing cost-of-living pressures. Discretionary categories alone accounted for $91 billion, with consumers continuing to prioritize experiences, travel, and major cultural events. The findings build on oOh!media's proprietary research confirming summer as Australia's largest spending season, a trend that has persisted despite economic headwinds.

Summer spending

Grocery spending climbed to $21 billion, up $677 million from winter months, reflecting seasonal rituals such as Christmas celebrations, barbecues, long weekends, and home entertaining. The figures are drawn from de-identified transaction records, which capture both discretionary and essential spending categories and show how household budgets shift across the calendar year.

Lila Conomos, head of Westpac DataX, said summer spending habits remain remarkably resilient even as cost-of-living pressures continue to weigh on household budgets. Consumers are prioritizing experiences and moments that matter, from road trips to major cultural events. For brands and marketers, the transaction view helps pinpoint the right time and place to influence purchase decisions.

Where the growth went

Theme park visits recorded one of the most notable increases, rising 30 percent year-on-year as warmer weather drew more Australians outdoors. Fashion, hospitality, travel, and beauty categories continued to drive discretionary outlays alongside everyday essentials such as supermarkets.

The great Australian road trip showed no signs of slowing, with 485,000 additional people undertaking long-distance travel compared to the previous summer, suggesting continued appetite for domestic travel. Travellers directed almost $6 billion into regional Australia and $7.8 billion across metropolitan areas.

Retail events

Black Friday and Cyber Monday delivered $9.5 billion in spending across four days in 2025, a 4.5 percent increase on the previous year, with shoppers spending the equivalent of $1.65 million every minute during the promotional window.

The Australian Open generated $2.8 billion in spending across Greater Melbourne as local and international tennis fans attended the year's first Grand Slam tournament.

Major spending moments are arriving earlier in the season, prompting marketers to rethink when and where they invest. oOh!media says more brands are engaging earlier to plan for key seasonal opportunities. The company's network connects brands with Australians across the places, journeys, and moments that define the summer season.

Media investment

Mel Duffy, head of POLY strategy and partnerships at oOh!media, stated the data shows a clear gap between consumer behaviour and media investment. Despite cost-of-living pressures, people have not stopped spending, travelling, or seeking experiences during this period.

Over the past summer, oOh!media's brief value rose by 21 percent, with stronger investment flowing into formats synonymous with seasonal movement and travel. Rail formats increased 29.1 percent, Airports grew 23.8 percent, and Street formats rose 16.4 percent year-on-year.