Not that we need to tell you, but the month of December has again proven to be a mammoth month for advertising spend.

According to data by Melbourne-based monitoring firm BigDatr retailers have again splashed out heavily on Christmas advertising as they attempt to protect their slice of the pie from competitors and online competitors.

The biggest spending segments for the month of December remain alcohol, department stores, grocery stores, hardware and electronics. With many also heavily promoting their pending post-Christmas sales.

And it’s hardly a surprise they’re in a fight for your dollar with a forecast by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) predicting every single Australian will spend close to $1100 on Christmas gifts this year.

When it came to alcohol as an example, advertising spend for December was almost six-times that of the money spent in July according to BigDatr.

Naturally, the supermarkets/FMCG clients were huge spenders up until Christmas. According to BigDatr Woolies was the biggest spender with 44.8 per cent of the category. Coles was next with 25.11 per cent and ALDI had 12.4 per cent.

When it came to hardware, Bunnings had 43 per cent of the category, Barbecues Galore 11 per cent and Home Timber & Hardware 8.5 per cent.

For electronics Harvey Norman was the top spender with 30.17 per cent, followed by Dick Smith with 15.29 per cent and The Good Guys with close to 14 per cent.