A nationwide collapse in consumer spending caused by the coronavirus outbreak was arrested last week as new real-time economic data shows pensioners and social security recipients used a one-off $750 stimulus payment to buy much more than usual.

Spending plummeted in late March to be 13 per cent below normal but recovered to be 5 per cent below the norm last week, a database that tracks the consumption patterns of hundreds of thousands of Australians shows.

In supermarkets last week spending was up by 19 per cent among lower income consumers. Credit:Dallas Kilponen

Between March 30 and April 5, demand across much of the economy was supported by lower income people, who were the main recipients of the federal government's stimulus payment. But higher income earners, who mostly didn’t receive it, continued to cut back.

In supermarkets last week spending was up 19 per cent among lower income consumers but fell by 3 per cent among higher income shoppers.