1.9m Kiwi shoppers spent $3.8b online, $1.3b offshore

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There are now 1.9 million New Zealanders shopping online, 56% of the total online population, according to Nielsen’s latest online retail report, out this morning.

The report found the number of people shopping online increased by over 100,000, a growth of 6% in the last year.

New Zealanders spent $3.8 billion shopping online – and this is expected to reach $4.15 billion by the end of the year.

“Kiwis have well and truly embraced internet shopping,” said Nielsen research director Tony Boyte,

“The number of items each person is buying is increasing at a rapid rate. Nearly half a million Kiwis each made 11 or more purchases on the internet last year, an increase of 58% in the last two years”

$1.3 billion is spent by New Zealanders on websites based overseas, with USA, Australia and the UK being the most popular. 34% of the total amount Kiwis spent shopping online is spent overseas, an increase from 26% the previous year and double that of 2010.

The most popular products and services are airline tickets with 44% of online shoppers purchasing from this category, followed by clothing/shoes/accessories (40%), books/magazines (35%), entertainment tickets (26%) and travel-related services such as accommodation and car hire (25%).

“Consumers shop online for convenience, which includes being able to compare products and prices,” Boyte says. “It’s a trend that will continue to grow and with this, spend will increase substantially.

“A considerable proportion of spend will continue to go off-shore but the opportunity remains for New Zealand retailers to take advantage of growth in the online retail space.”

  • The complete report is now available to purchase – contact Nielsen marketing & comms manager Kim McFadden at DDI 09 970 4328, 021 429 895 or Kim.McFadden@nielsen.com.


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