Australia’s largest online shop, eBay Australia, is forecasting Sunday, December 7 will be the biggest online and mobile shopping day ever.

eBay expects a record breaking 2.6 million people will visit eBay.com.au, and 1.5 million of these will be visiting from a mobile device.

The number of goods purchased via mobile device is expected to be 48 per cent higher than the busiest day of 2013, with goods being purchased at a rate of 2.6 items per second.

It is estimated Australians will be purchasing six gifts per second, meaning more than half a million Christmas presents will be secured in a 24 hour period.

Jo-Ann Hicks, eBay head of customer experience, said mobile shopping is approaching 50 per cent of all activity on eBay this Christmas.

“Australians are shopping anytime, anywhere and using connected devices to shop on the go, shopping their world whenever inspiration hits. The ease of accessibility via multi-screened devices has allowed for shoppers to browse in more convenient time frames, boosting the amount of time and money they spend shopping online,” she said.

On December 7 there will be 51 million live listings on eBay, 23 per cent more than last year’s busiest day, and 66 per cent of these will offer free shipping.

From December 4 until 8pm December 7 at Customs House Forecourt, eBay’s shoppable windows will operate around the clock for Sydney’s Christmas shoppers.

The interactive windows, complete with live actors, bring online shopping into the physical world; merging physical items with online shopping into one end to end customer experience.

“The improved choice and service levels this year highlight the maturity of the online industry. Online retailers are meeting the demands of the savvy Australian consumer and are in return being rewarded with a dramatic increase in traffic and spend,” said Hicks.

Payments provider PayPal is also predicting a peak online shopping period this Sunday and has confirmed the mobile trend is not isolated to eBay.

Adrian Christie, PayPal Australia spokesperson, said PayPal expects to see mobile shopping purchases during the peak shopping period increase by almost 50 per cent this year compared to last year.

“The lead up to Christmas can be a busy time for Australians but by using their mobile device to shop, consumers can alleviate some of the stress by ticking items of their Christmas list anytime, anywhere,” he said.