Australian businesses are continuing to invest and grow, with NAB’s trade and working capital lending up 51% on the past year.
The data also shows a 58% spike in use of the funds ahead of the busy holiday shopping period, with many businesses using working capital to stock up on products to ensure favourite Christmas gifts stay on shelves.
NAB Executive for Business Metro, Michael Saadie, said many business owners are turning to the finance option to combat ongoing supply chain issues, with many businesses moving from a ‘just in time’ to a ‘just in case’ mentality.
“We’re seeing businesses change the way they hold stock, with many choosing to hold more product to reduce shortages – if you can’t service customers immediately, you risk losing them to competitors,” Mr Saadie said.
“Last year, Australians spent more than an estimated $8 billion across the four days from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, this shows Aussies have really embraced the trend adopted from our American friends and is now a permanent fixture in the sales calendar.
“This year, we’re navigating through a different economic environment, but the trend highlights the importance of having product available when and where customers want it.”
Co-Founder and CEO of Sheet Society, Andy Worley is expecting a busy few months, with November on track to be their biggest month to date.
“We’re yet to see a shift in customer behaviour in terms of how much or how frequently they are spending with us, however customers are telling us they are more focused on making considered and thoughtful purchase decisions.
“Customer service and satisfaction is at the core of what we do, so making sure we have the product our customers want at all times is a huge focus – this was a key driver in our decision to introduce trade and working capital finance into the business.”
The smaller states led the charge when it came to NAB’s lending through trade and working capital with South Australia posting an annual increase of over 300%, followed by Queensland who saw an increase of 70%.
