A survey conducted by Deloitte and the Australian Retailers Association, released yesterday, revealed that 68 per cent of consumers plan to spend the same or more this festive season compared with last year.

With 30 days to Christmas, Hunter retailers are optimistic about sales despite the gloomy outlook for the overall economy.

Domayne Kotara electrical franchisee Adam Luker said after some soft weeks retail had picked up dramatically.

"It's very encouraging, all the signs are there that we are going to have a very good Christmas," Mr Luker said.

"Petrol prices and interest rates are down which could stimulate spending and I think people are a bit tired of all the gloom and doom so they're planning some retail therapy."

The Good Guys Kotara store manager Andrew Robertson said electrical appliances and information technology were again popular items for Christmas presents.

"There are a lot of good offers and new products for the savvy consumer and sales are really picking up," Mr Robertson said.

"It's very positive."

The survey analysed the proposed Christmas spending of 933 consumers aged 18 to 40 years.

According to the survey, more than one third of respondents said they planned to spend between $250 and $500 on Christmas presents and another third planned to spend up to $1000 on gifts for friends and family.

Association executive director Richard Evans said that despite an "overly negative" outlook on the economy, shoppers were still ready to open their wallets.