Covid-19 May 18 update

Many New Zealanders will be feeling fortunate as we enter the first full week of Alert Level 2, and this was a sentiment that was on display over the weekend when Kantar ran our 10th survey wave to gauge the attitudes of Kiwis to the Covid-19 situation. New cases remain low, schools are now open, as are many businesses. Following the release of last week’s Budget – which included a $50 billion recovery package – debate raged about whether it can help drive the New Zealand economy forward. Financial wellbeing has consistently been Kiwis’ main concern throughout the crisis and, while the health situation continues to improve, in New Zealand at least, the financial impact that Covid-19 will have on New Zealanders’ lives will continue for some time.

This email summarises a few key findings from our survey; for more information about the results, or if there’s a topic you would like us to explore for your business, please contact your Kantar account lead. Also, please note, that this is likely to be our second to last Monday update, but please do look out for details about a webinar where we will compile Kantar’s intelligence to understand how Covid-19 will forever change the relationship between brands and their customers.

One-third of Kiwis are saving for a rainy day

Stats NZ recently reported that retail card spending across the country fell during the lockdown. What we know from our monitor is that nearly one-quarter (23%) of New Zealanders now say that the impact of Covid-19 on the economy is their biggest concern, far more than the 15% who say it is the physical health of themselves and their family. With the economic outlook remaining uncertain, it is therefore unsurprising that one-third of Kiwis are putting aside any money saved during the lockdown period. Many New Zealanders obviously continue to struggle – with one-in-five saving no money during the lockdown period – while others intend to use any savings on travel within New Zealand, new clothes and out of home dining and socialising.

Auckland is where Kiwis want to travel to first domestically

With travel within New Zealand so high on New Zealanders’ agenda, once the Covid-19 situation ends, we were keen to understand where Kiwis wanted to visit first. After excluding those who picked their own town – to avoid any bias – Auckland came out on top and this decision will likely be influenced by the recent video that celebrates the silence of our biggest city, during the Covid-19 lockdown, which became the biggest ever global hit on the Visit Auckland YouTube channel. The Bay of Plenty, and Otago (which will be welcome news to the Queenstown-Lakes District), were not far behind.

A number of media channels are now being used significantly less, compared to a week ago

Media consumption, across all in-home channels, changed significantly in New Zealand as we entered lockdown. Within the last week, usage of free TV on demand / streaming, paid media subscriptions, playing computer games, and news websites has tailed-off as Kiwis return to a more “normal” life, although offline radio was a surprise which many would have expected higher usage of as more people use their cars. While brands will need to continue to watch this changing media consumption landscape closely, it is also important to recognise that the reach of a channel is a key determinant of its value.

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