Market Analysis
Part of Retail data and research methods
Choosing a source for a retail market question
Match an Australian retail question to household spending, industry sales, retailer records or survey evidence using the right population and measure.
Match a retail source to the people or businesses, activity and period in the question. A household product-spending series, an industry sales series and one retailer’s accounts can all be relevant, but they answer different questions.
Specify the answer needed
Write: “For this population and place, did this measure change over these dates, and what decision would the answer affect?” Then identify whether the measure concerns products bought, businesses trading, customers reporting a view or purchases recorded by one retailer. If the question asks about units, a dollar series alone will not answer it.
| Question | Start with | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| What households spent on a published product category | ABS Monthly Household Spending Indicator | Category, geography, price basis and available periods |
| How a retail industry traded | A defined industry turnover or sales series | Business population, collection method and GST treatment |
| What one retailer sold | Its stated sales measure or transaction extract | Channels, returns and reporting dates |
| What shoppers said mattered | A survey and its methods | Eligibility, recruitment, wording and respondent base |
Check the Australian series
The ABS Monthly Household Spending Indicator estimates spending in selected household consumption categories, using transaction inputs and adjustments for coverage gaps. Retail turnover estimates concern activity by retail businesses. Select the output whose classification matches the question, not merely a familiar publication name.
Business Indicators, Australia provides quarterly estimates of income from sales of goods and services for selected industries, based on a business survey. The former Retail Trade, Australia series ended with the June 2025 reference period. Keep a historical figure under its original series name. Compare methods before joining it to a newer measure.
Key Australian Retail Data Series and Their Focus
- ABS Monthly Household Spending IndicatorEstimates household spending in selected consumption categories using transaction data and coverage adjustments.
- Business Indicators, AustraliaQuarterly estimates of income from sales for selected industries based on business surveys.
- Retail Trade, Australia (historical)Ended June 2025; now superseded by newer series. Use original name for historical comparisons.
Reject a mismatched figure
Suppose a buying team asks whether Australians bought more homewares units this quarter. Current-price household spending can show a published category’s dollar movement; it does not count units.
A matching quarterly chain-volume measure, if published, describes price-adjusted aggregate movement rather than an item count. The team’s own unit records answer a narrower question about its sales.
Before accepting a figure, confirm the population, classification, geography, period, unit and adjustment basis. Check whether it is a level, growth rate or share, and whether the denominator fits. If a field fails, narrow the question or seek another source. State what the selected source can establish and where it stops.
