With only four weeks to go until Christmas, the official shopping season has begun in earnest, and many of Cowra's businesses are expecting a healthy month of trade.
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New research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and Roy Morgan Research has confirmed what Garth Collins from Inside Out already knew, outdoor games, toys and activities will be this year's favourite stocking filler.
"Fishing is now the number one sport in Australia," he said,
"There are a number of new products, baits, rigs, lures for people to upgrade to."
Mr Collins said that the affordability of outdoor activities was what was driving the growth.
"There is a lot of inexpensive gear available that allows families in particular to get involved," he said.
A balance between price and quality is what Carla Sparkes from Style for Women believes that shoppers are looking for around Christmas.
"When you're giving something as a gift, you don't want it to be poor quality," she said.
"Plus we smaller stores have a greater variety of clothes than the major chains. They're all the same really, here you can find something different."
Mrs Sparkes is expecting a lot of local support this year as Cowra shoppers embrace the new main street and an enhanced shopping experience.
"I've been opening on a Sunday during December for years now and I'm also running a few special evenings events in the lead up to Christmas," she said.
Greg Nicholls from Martin's Betta Electrical said last year's big seller was the drone, but this year he expected that app driven toys would be the big seller.
"The Sphero range of toys, including the Ollie, will be big this year, but it's always hard to judge because every year it's different," he said.
One of the changes that Mr Nichol's has noticed is how customers are no longer taking advantage of lay-bys to make purchases.
"Gone are the days when people would put purchases on lay-by," he said.
"We used to have 20 or 30 just before Christmas, now we're lucky to have five or six."
Garth Collins said his last couple of months has been better than the same time last year.
"I don't know if it's the new Prime Minister or if it's because it's been good for farmers the second year in a row, but everyone seems a bit more confident."
