Cyber Week Round-Up 2022

Whilst we’re still seeing the implications of world events from the past years and shifts in how and what people purchase, Cyber Week in the region has been relatively positive for retailers. In fact, data from the National Australia Bank (NAB) reveals that Aussies spent big during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, exceeding economic forecasts to top A$7 billion.

So, how exactly did Cyber Week play out across APAC? We’ll let the data speak for itself.

APAC consumers are buying less and spending more

Spending over Black Friday and Cyber Monday surpassed expectations. Though online orders remained relatively flat year-on-year, the average order value (AOV) increased 11% across the week. On average, the APAC shopper spent A$162 per order when shopping online.

The increase in AOV demonstrates that consumers are buying less yet spending more at the cash register. AOV on Black Friday grew 16%, with orders averaging A$169. The Tuesday before Black Friday saw the strongest AOV reaching A$188. However, it’s worth noting that Cyber Monday bucked the trend this year. Cyber Monday was the biggest day for orders (up 24% YoY). This coincided with the lowest AOV day, suggesting that retailers launched additional discounts and consumers were looking for last-minute bargains.

World events are impacting what people purchase

Throughout APAC, especially in Australia, there is a shift in people buying for entertainment purposes. For most of the region, lockdown is no more, and people want to spend quality time with family and friends, driving an increase in houseware sales (+176% YoY) and home improvement (+18% YoY).

Additionally, consumers are eager to return to concerts, the theatre and sporting events, with sales for event tickets surpassing expectations and rising by a whopping 322% YoY. The easing of COVID-19 restrictions isn’t the only world event impacting how APAC consumer purchase. This year Cyber Week overlapped with the FIFA World Cup. With Asia having one of the largest soccer (or football, if you prefer) followings globally, it’s no surprise that the sale of sporting goods increased by 87% from 2021.

Affiliate is driving consumers back in-store

Consumers love being able to shop in-store again. According to the NAB, both online and in-store sales saw strong growth compared to last year, with sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday at physical terminals in Australia up 11% from the week prior.

In 2022, we saw retailers promoting Black Friday deals in-store, driving footfall back to the shopping centres. This correlates with our affiliate data. We saw a high volume of clicks from shoppers researching and discovering new products through the affiliate channel before purchasing in-store.

Cyber Week or Cyber Month?

Each year the peak shopping season starts earlier. You could question whether November should be called Cyber Month. In APAC, there is Click Frenzy, Singles’ Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

We’ve already highlighted that the Tuesday before Black Friday had the strongest AOV, and we know that orders were strongest on Cyber Monday. Consumers, however, are shopping throughout the month. Affiliate traffic started to increase from the 8^th of November, suggesting consumers began searching for Singles’ Day deals.

Comparing Singles’ Day performance with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, sales were stronger towards the end of the month. The sales difference between the events can be attributed to retailers’ price-matching sellers and further incentivising shoppers. For example, when department stores launched a sale, brands followed reactively with new discounts. Layering this with cashback offers proved advantageous for consumers. 

The results of Cyber Week should put a spring in the step of retailers selling across APAC. As the time for gift-giving draws closer, retailers still have plenty of opportunities to produce strategic campaigns that deliver outstanding results.

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