Hopeful news for the retail sector came from the National Australia Bank this week, which estimated Easter Thursday would beat Boxing Day for transactions.

The news hits as a ray of light in an otherwise gloomy outlook for the retail sector, which has been struggling as consumers show more interest in saving than spending.

NAB predicted Easter Thursday would set a record for transaction numbers at 10.8 million.

The last record-setting day for card transactions using NAB equipment – ATMs and point-of-sale machines – was Boxing Day 2014 when nearly 10 million were recorded.

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The bank used an analysis of customer shopper habits to predict a 20 per cent increase on the same period last year on transactions, when a NAB spokesman said nine million were recorded.

Internet banking logins were also set for a record at 1.95 million, the bank stated, beating December 23, 2014 which had 1.89 million logins.

The spokesman was careful to point out that these figures did not suggest more money was changing hands, just more card use.

“You could buy a coffee or you could buy a car, so it doesn’t say much about spending,” he said.

ANZ was also predicting a sharp rise in card transactions compared to Good Friday Eve in 2014.

A spokeswoman said the bank was expecting combined ATM and point-of-sale transactions to add up to 10 million.

Point-of-sale transactions were expected to jump by 14 per cent, she said.

The National Retail Association was contacted for comment.