More Aussies are leaning towards doing their Christmas shopping online and earlier than ever before, according to new research from enterprise marketplace platform Mirakl.

In 2019, the number of Aussie online Christmas shoppers was at a global low of 24%, but this year, the number has sprung up to 42%.

Despite the biggest jump in online shopping being seen last year - peak pandemic - online Christmas shopping continued to increase this year.

As a result, Mirakl predicts this trend is here to stay, even without restrictions and lockdowns in place.

Additionally, more than half (51%) plan to shop earlier; of these early shoppers, 71% plan to start buying gifts before December.

Only 2% of respondents said they would be doing their Christmas shopping last-minute (Christmas Eve or Christmas Day).

The main driver (46%) of early and online shopping was revealed to be avoiding supply chain disruptions and shipping delays according to Mirakl's data.

Adrien Nussenbaum, co-founder and co-CEO of Mirakl, said this data offers proof that the behavioural changes brought on by the pandemic are 'becoming permanent'.

"It’s especially interesting to see the incredible surge in online Christmas shopping in Australia, with the number of Aussies doing their Christmas shopping online almost doubling since 2019," Mr Nussenbaum said.

"We found that Australians are starting and finishing Christmas shopping earlier than almost any other country, which likely shows the impact the last 18 months has had on shopping behaviour."

Seven in 10 Aussies are at least open to completing some of their shopping on online marketplaces.

This survey was conducted across nine countries globally, including Australia.

Of the 9,000 respondents, 60% cited 'better prices' as a reason to use online marketplaces.

Additionally, 94% planned to maintain or increase the amount of Christmas shopping they did online.

Image by Pickawood on Unsplash