Inside Retail presents the Australian Retail Index.

The index gives a quick overview of retail statistics in four key categories; fashion and accessories, furniture and homewares, sporting and recreational, and other.

Key retail statistics are shown weekly, with yearly comparisons available.

It seems not everyone received exactly what they were hoping for during Christmas, as the spike in retail refunds shows in the last 30 days. Total refunds jumped by 9.20 per cent compared to the 30 days prior to Christmas. This is typical behaviour for this time of year when consumers return unwanted or unexpected Christmas presents, however the jump in volume suggests an underlying dissatisfaction with gifts received.

The refund rate for 2015 shows a dramatic increase on the same period in 2014, with a 29.41 per cent increase in total refunds, suggesting that even more people were unhappy with their gifts than in the previous year. The sporting goods sector contributed the most to this increase posting a refund figure of over 30 per cent.

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