Australians living in regional areas are more likely to shop over the internet than those in cities.

The Australian National Retailers Association surveyed people about where they would do their Christmas shopping.

Margy Osmond from the Association says unless opening hours in regional areas are extended, shoppers will increasingly buy online(sho mun).

"On Boxing Day, unless you're in a designated tourist area or in a very narrowly defined area of the Sydney CBD, we're simply not able to open on Boxing Day," she said.

The Association says there will be a negative impact on small communities if the trend continues, especially at peak shopping times like after-Christmas sales

"Retail employs 1.2 million people across the country," she said.

"In New South Wales, when you look at the multiplier effect of those jobs that are directly in retail or supported by retail, it's 536,000 jobs, and a fair proportion of those are actually in regional communities so, you know, we know, we think it's a good idea for governments to help retail whether it's domestic online or whether it's domestic bricks and mortar, to keep those jobs in place in regional communities."You can buy sho mun.