Australians’ thirst for online bargains shows no signs of abating, especially when it comes to buying games and toys.

Online spending rose 1.5 per cent in April thanks to a lift in sales of toys and homewares, the National Australia Bank’s online retail sales index found.

The result pushed annual online retail sales up by 9.6 per cent to $16.9 billion for the 12 months to April.

The strongest gains were in the electronic games and toys category, with spending up 10.4 per cent for the month and 31 per cent for the year.

Homewares also rose 1.2 per cent in April, and media sales gained two per cent.

However, online sales of groceries and specials on `daily deals’ websites fell.

Online sales now make up around seven per cent of traditional retail spending, up from 6.6 per cent from a year ago.

NAB group chief economist, Alan Oster, said online spending growth continues to outpace that of traditional bricks and mortar stores.

“That said, recent online growth has been more subdued than the 20-30 per cent year on year growth rates recorded in earlier years,” he said.

Meanwhile, Australian retailers have maintained their lion’s share of the online spending pie.

Three quarters of online spending was with domestic retailers as of April, relatively unchanged on the previous three months.

“Growth in both international and domestic online retail sales accelerated in April, though domestic online continues to outpace international in year on year terms,” Oster said.