Last minute Christmas shoppers are increasingly heading online to avoid the last-minute dash in store, with Kiwis planning to shop more at local online retailers as Christmas approaches.
In its annual report, Mastercard said – in a survey of over a thousand New Zealanders – although most individuals (55 per cent) are still pounding the pavements to purchase gifts and seasonal supplies, online shopping is continuing to grow in popularity, with more people using both local (22 per cent up from 14 per cent) and international (10 per cent up from 9 per cent) online retailers.
More packages will be landing on the doorsteps of Kiwi men than women, with 35 per cent of men likely to do their shopping online compared to 29 per cent of women.
During the rest of the year, almost two-thirds (59 per cent) of New Zealanders are now making purchases online at least once a month.
“Online shopping is trusted by Kiwis throughout the year for making all sorts of purchases, and Christmas is no exception,” said Peter Chisnall, country manager for Mastercard New Zealand and Pacific Islands.
“The increasing use of online shopping in the run-up to Christmas reflects Kiwis comfort levels with completing transactions online throughout the year.
“The fact that local online retailers can ship things quickly means Kiwis are increasingly taking advantage of the wide range of online stores.
The Mastercard survey found two thirds of Kiwis research their purchases online (65 per cent), and then either purchase online (40 per cent) or in-store (25 per cent) depending on where the best deals are.
The most important factor when choosing where to purchase Christmas gifts is quality (86 per cent), followed by price (83 per cent). These two factors are followed by convenience (77 per cent) and recourse with the retailer if things go wrong (75 per cent).
Books, movies and music (in any format) are the most popular type of gift to purchase online (45 per cent –local or overseas online retailer), with the most significant reason for using an international retailer being lowest price (72 per cent). This is followed by toys and games (31 per cent purchasing online), and clothing (27 per cent purchasing online), with price also being the key factor.
