Strong growth in smart device shopping

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New Zealanders’ shopping online anytime/anyplace on smartphones and tablets increased significantly last year, according to the latest Nielsen Online Retail Report, released this morning.

The report found that 41% of smartphone owners made a purchase via the device and 58% of tablet owners. There are now 655,000 people shopping on their smartphones (a growth of 127% year on year) and 414,000 on their tablet (a 73% increase).

“For those purchasing via a smartphone, growth comes from those who are now comfortable using all the benefits it has for making shopping decisions on the go,” said Neilsen research director Tony Boyte.

“But for tablets, their use in the shopping process is in line with ownership growth. As tablet ownership grows, we expect to see an even bigger increase in purchasing using a mobile device over the next year.”

Mobile devices also have a considerable role in the path to purchase, Boyte said. New Zealanders are using their smartphone and tablets for researching products, competitive price checking, finding store locations and shopping lists. Smartphones in particular are constant companions to shoppers on-the go either in-store or while travelling.

“The way we shop is evolving, increasingly it’s online via smartphones and tablets. Local retailers, such as Trade Me and the Warehouse, provide mobile sites and/or apps for consumers to shop where and when it is convenient which is contributing to their success.”

Trade Me is the top commerce site, reaching 56% of the population and 1.9 million unique monthly visitors. The Warehouse, in second place, had strong growth year on year and now reaches 22% of New Zealanders and 750,000 unique monthly visitors. GrabOne and Amazon reach 19% and 17% of the population respectively and attract 630,000 and 590,000 monthly visitors to their websites. Air New Zealand, eBay, Countdown, Mighty Ape, Treat Me and 1-day make up the top 10 e-commerce sites for New Zealanders to visit.


About the Nielsen Online Retail Report 2014

Nielsen’s Online Retail Report provides New Zealand’s only in-depth information on the nation’s online retailing. It is an annual measure of e-commerce activity, shopping patterns and consumer confidence. The complete report is now available to purchase – contact Kim McFadden at kim.mcfadden@nielsen.com or 021 429 895.


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