The strength of New Zealand’s online spend continued in December, with total online retail spending up 12 per cent on December 2013, according to BNZ’s MarketView.

Online purchases at domestic merchants were up seven per cent on spending levels a year earlier – eight per cent excluding specialist daily deals sites – a strong result, as over most of the year online purchases from local sites grew at around three per cent to four per cent year on year.

Despite a weakened NZ dollar against the US currency in December ,kiwi shoppers were undeterred, spending 19 per cent more online at offshore merchants than the previous December.

Looking at individual categories, food and entertainment stood out.

Total online spending in electrical and electronic goods, supermarkets and groceries, other specialised food, entertainment, and pharmaceuticals and cosmetics was up by more than 20 per cent on December 2013 levels.

Domestically, online spending growth was also strong for newspaper and books, up 18 per cent, and computers and peripherals, up 21 per cent.

Online purchases of clothing from offshore sites in December continued their strong trend, with spending up 19 per cent on December 2013. Online spending on clothing at local sites was up six per cent over the same period.

Spending at physical stores of local retailers in December was increased by four per cent in the month. This growth rate was outpaced by online spending at both local and international merchants.