Last minute shoppers will be out in record numbers today with National Australia Bank (NAB) research forecasting that more than 11.6 million transactions will be processed.

NAB Group Executive, Enterprise Services and Transformation, Renée Roberts, said this year Christmas Eve will be Australia’s biggest shopping day for the Christmas period across EFTPOS, ATMs, debit and credit cards.

“We expect to see more than 11.6 million customer transactions today, smashing last year’s records by more than 1.5 million transactions and up a further 2.5 million since 2013,” Mrs Roberts said.

“The shopping peak is estimated to hit at 1pm – customers can expect to have very little elbow room at the shopping counter if shopping on their lunch break.

“Our analysis shows customers will be shopping at a rate of more than 310 transactions per second, which would be the highest peak rate ever recorded for Christmas Eve.

“If you’ve left your shopping until today, be sure to hit the shops with a plan and a shopping list to make sure you get all your last minute shopping done,” Mrs Roberts said.

Christmas Eve 2015 transaction forecast:

• Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December, is predicted to be this year’s busiest Christmas shopping day;
• NAB predicts a record 11.6 million ATM, EFTPOS, debit and credit card transactions will be processed;
• The peak transaction rate is expected to hit 310 per second; and
• The shopping peak is estimated to hit at 1pm.