Earlier this month, Roy Morgan Research released some of the online shopping data from its Single Source New Zealand, July 2014 – June 2015 research study.
According to that research, just under half (49.3%) of New Zealanders 14+ (1.8 million of us) bought at least one product over the internet in the previous four weeks.
9.0% of Kiwis now buy travel products such as tickets or accommodation online in an average four-week period, making it the most common internet purchase ahead of women’s clothing (7.9%), tickets to shows, movies or events (6.1%) and fast food/delivered meals (6.1%).
Other popular online purchases include Books (5.0%) and eBooks (4.1%), music downloads (4.7%), and men’s clothing (4.0%)—with around half the number of online buyers as womenswear.
Top 20 products Kiwis buy online
John La Rosa, General Manager Client Services – ANZ Roy Morgan Research, commented at the time:
“It’s clear that many of the most common online sales are for non-physical items like tickets, bookings, home delivery, and downloads—that is, products with no shipping or that don’t need to be tried on or tested in a bricks-and-mortar store. For many, the internet is now the default channel for buying a travel or movie ticket, booking a hotel room, or ordering a pizza.
“Other commonly purchased items such as clothes, books and cosmetics are items that we know are identical whether bought online or in a store, so it may come down to price and convenience.
“But other products ranging from small electrical goods, sports equipment and homewares to computers, jewellery and hardware, are also gaining in the online space. It’s important that traditional retailers stop viewing online as a threat, and instead as an opportunity to reach and appeal to customers in different ways. Today’s consumers aren’t thinking in terms of online or offline—to them, it’s all just shopping. Retailers therefore need an ‘omni-channel’ view of their offerings, competition, pricing, service and advertising.
“Around two-thirds of internet shoppers agree they only buy from online retailers they know—whether that’s trustworthy online-only outlets or the websites of bricks-and-mortar shops. Around 1 in 5 say they only buy from New Zealand online stores.
“Also, the internet isn’t just a sales channel; it’s often the way we do a bit of pre-purchase planning via computer, mobile or tablet instead of visiting stores. Almost half of Kiwis agree they research products or services online before buying in-store, and almost 1 in 3 did product research online within the last four weeks.”
The study is based on a sample of 5983 New Zealanders 14+ and was conducted over the 12 months to June 2015.