One in five games purchased online during holidays - NPD Group Australia

20% of Australia games sales were made online during December 2012.

According to the NPD Group Australia's survey data, as reported by MCV Pacific, that's a significant increase on December 2011's figures, when just 10% of game purchases were made via the Internet.

The growing importance of online retail worth remembering when retail sales reports decline, as in the US market, which noted a 10% year-on-year decrease in March, for example.

Of these purchases, console hardware was in the minority and most were for items costing AUD $50 or less. In-store, under 40% of purchases were made on the consumer's behalf, with the rest intended as gifts. Online, most purchases were made by the intended end user.

The NPD Group Australia conducts a similar survey every quarter, with a sample size of 3,000 consumers aged 13 and over. This quarter's demographic was dominated by young adults and 25-34 year-olds - both groups recorded growth.