Online shopping is "addictive", New Zealanders spent $7.6 billion online in 2021

Once you have tried online shopping, it is easy to fall into its charm. Even though the epidemic policy was relaxed last year and offline stores gradually opened, many people still use online shopping as their main shopping method.

According to the latest report from New Zealand Post's e-commerce focus, online shoppers spent $7.67 billion last year , setting a new record for online spending! Online spending increased by 52% compared to 2019. This is because many first-time online shoppers have accepted the security and convenience of online shopping.

Chris Wong, general manager of commercial marketing at New Zealand Post, said: "During the lockdown last year, New Zealanders spent more online than ever before and we saw record parcel volumes. During lockdown, online shopping became the only option for many people, so we saw online shopping grow to a whole new level. Now, whether we are in lockdown or not, online shopping has become an important part of the way New Zealanders shop every day. "

According to the report data, the average online shopper spent $3,567 throughout 2021, up from $2,913 in 2020. Driven by consecutive large-scale promotional festivals from October to December, New Zealanders spent $2.5 billion online in the fourth quarter alone, an increase of 45% from the fourth quarter of 2020 and a year-on-year increase of 71% compared to the pre-epidemic period in 2019. Wong said that many retailers have adopted new and different promotional activities, which start earlier and last longer.

Specifically, last year's Singles' Day online spending was US$30.8 million, a 30% increase from 2020; followed by Black Friday, with online spending of US$39.8 million, a 17% increase from 2020.

When it comes to New Zealand consumers' favorite online shopping items, clothing and footwear accounted for the largest proportion, with online spending increasing by 34% to over US$1.58 billion; groceries and miscellaneous retail increased by 26%; and categories such as entertainment, books, and stationery also increased by 22%.

In terms of age, the 45 to 60 age group has always dominated online shoppers. But in recent years, it seems that younger shoppers have grown the fastest. In 2021, consumers aged 15 to 29 and 30 to 45 increased their online spending by 25%. This means that their combined online spending accounted for 43% of total online spending in 2021.

Although New Zealand's e-commerce development is not as advanced as that of the United States and Germany, according to data surveys in recent years, the development speed will continue to accelerate in the future. Especially after the epidemic, local consumers still retain the habit of online shopping, which is more conducive to the development of the e-commerce environment.

New Zealand

Online Shopping