The country’s annual online retail spending in September was 11 per cent higher than the previous corresponding period, reaching $4.5 billion (excluding GST) across all retail categories.

Spending at local online sites saw a 15 per cent increase compared to September last year. In contrast, growth in spending at traditional stores only saw a 4.5 per cent increase.

According to Gary Baker, director of institutional research at Bank of New Zealand, online spending on international merchants was up 7 per cent compared to September last year. But overall, spending growth at offshore sites was mixed, with roughly equal numbers of categories showing rises and falls compared to last September.

Baker said online clothing sales showed impressive growth for domestic retailers, which saw a 26 per cent increase on last September,  but were less impressive for international retailers, down 3 per cent on September last year.