Ever wanted to look into the future? We might not be able to predict everything that 2023 has in store, but what our HBB co-founders can tell you is a few of the upcoming shopping trends that are set to be BIG come the New Year.

Sali Sasi and Julie Stevanja, the dynamic pair behind activewear aggregator Stylerunner, and founders of one of Australia’s fastest growing shopping platforms, Her Black Book (us!), have tipped local labels, homewares and cashback incentives to dominate our upcoming shopping habits.

Below, Sali and Julie share their take on the hottest shopping trends and categories for the New Year.

It’s no secret the cashback industry is on the up here in Australia with Choice citing millions of Aussies are currently making the most of these services.

According to Statista, the global cashback industry is expected to be worth more than $200 billion by 2024.

“Since launching our cashback feature in May we’ve seen a massive uptake among our users,” Stevanja explained.

“In fact, we saw a 300% surge in people shopping cashback deals during Cyber Week, and why wouldn’t they? Being rewarded with money back in your pocket might sound too good to be true but I can assure you, it’s not!”

“The cashback category is now our strongest in terms of number of deals with more than 250 offers, proving that more and more brands are opting to offer this kind of incentive - it really is the way forward,” Sasi added.

Shoppers will look to local labels for their new season offerings.

“We have noticed shoppers are showing a lot of love to homegrown Aussie labels which is a reflection of Australia’s high-quality retailers,” Sasi said.

“More specifically, we’ve seen a big spike in our community shopping female founded Australian brands like SIR The Label, Fella Swim, Anna Quan and Naked Sundays, which is brilliant to see.”

“There’s also tremendous support for our smaller and VSBs (very small brands) which tell us people are willing to get behind emerging labels, and being more conscious when it comes to choosing where and how goods are produced,” she added.

Her Black Book’s homeware category has surpassed performance expectations, rivalling the App’s usual leading categories.

“Covid forced us all to spend more time at home and take a little more pride in our spaces, and it seems that remains a trend even though we’ve moved beyond lockdowns” Stevanja explained.

“Homewares has quickly become one of our leading categories, on par with Fashion and Beauty,” she added.

“The category now has more than a hundred deals, with offers from brands including Nespresso, Twinkling Tabletops, Bed Threads, Maison Balzac, Nuage Interiors, Dusk and Adairs.”

On Her Black Book, users have the ability to ‘Follow’ brands, similar to social media functionalities, and the App’s Homeware brands have more ‘Follows’ than our Activewear, Swim and Jewellery & Accessories brands.

More surprisingly, luxury labels are also a popular choice among Her Black Book users with Sasi and Stevanja hypothesising shoppers are still treating themselves but being savvy about it.

“Times are tough right now, but that’s how the Lipstick Effect all started, and this feels like history repeating itself,” Sasi said.

“Through Her Black Book, shoppers get access to promotions, discounts and cashback offers from all brands, including designer labels, meaning people can treat themselves but get a great deal while they’re at it.”

“A luxury purchase doesn’t always need to be over the top either; a small splurge on a pre-loved handbag or pair of designer sunnies can be a real mood (and outfit) booster,” Stevanja added.

“Our Designer category is now sitting at more than 60 brands, with global juggernauts like Net-A-Porter, Farfetch, MyTheresa, Proenza Schouler, Furla, SSENSE and Selfridges all joining us.”