NZ Post: Kiwis spend $7.67 billion online in 2021
A new report from NZ Post has shown a 52% growth in New Zealanders’ online spending in 2021 compared to 2019, as many new people embraced the safety and ease of online shopping.
Commenting on the results, NZ Post General Manager of Business Marketing Chris Wong said: “Another year of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions saw Kiwis spending more online than ever before.
“We started to see record parcel numbers when New Zealand went into Covid-19 lockdowns.
“Last year saw the longest sustained period of retail being closed in New Zealand, particularly in Auckland, and with buying online the only option for many, we’ve continued to see online shopping grow to a whole new level,” Mr Wong said.
“However, there is no doubt, whether we are in a lockdown or not, that online shopping is now a major part of how Kiwis shop every day.”
Published quarterly, the report shows the average online shopper spent $3,567 throughout 2021, compared to $2,913 in 2020. The average monthly spend per shopper last year was $297.
The report also showed that in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021 New Zealanders spent a $2.5 billion online, which was up 45% than Q4 in 2020 and 71% up on the same quarter in 2019 (before the pandemic).
Focusing on the seasonal fluctuations, Wong explained: “October to December is peak season for retailers and includes big sales day events like Singles’ Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“With lockdown restrictions firmly in place leading up to this period, we saw many retailers adopting new and different promotions, starting much earlier and running for longer periods.”
Last year Singles’ Day recorded a $30.8 million online spend (up 30% on 2020), followed by Black Friday at $39.8 million (up 17% on 2020) and Cyber Monday at $39.5 million (up 19% on 2020).
With an extended period of high spending leading up to Christmas, it was feared that Boxing Day might not have lived up to its reputation for driving a shopping frenzy
“However,” said Wong, “that was not the case. Nearly $195m was spent on Boxing Day across both online and off. Online spend was up 29% on Boxing Day 2020, driven by nearly 184,000 online transactions for the day.
“Like the earlier big sales events, Boxing Day promotions seemed to start much earlier and extend well beyond the day and into the new year, allowing retailers to finish the year strongly.”
