PAYMARK EFTPOS Electronic Transaction Statistics

PAYMARK EFTPOS Electronic Transaction Statistics Report

11 January 2005

Strong Holiday Period Despite the Weather for Retailers Latest electronic transaction statistics show record spending

Retailers should be happy with the holiday period according to the latest statistics from Paymark EFTPOS. Total transactions on the Paymark EFTPOS network, which accounts for around 80% of all electronic transactions in New Zealand, were up across all measurable periods when compared to last year.

Key Paymark EFTPOS statistics include: Consumers spent $3.2 billion in December 2004 – up 9.66% on December 2003 New Zealanders spent over $170 million on Christmas Eve alone Spending during the “Boxing Day sales” (December 26/27/28) exceeded $190 million – up 4.88% on 2003 Momentum carried through into the “New Year’s sales” with $109 million spent on January 1 and 2

Darryl Roots, Paymark spokesperson, says, “We had early indicators that the summer holiday period was going to be a strong one with a very busy November and transaction volumes higher on average throughout the whole year. While the inclement weather may have impacted on the retail sector, our statistics show that December was still a very successful time on the whole.”

“People seem to be planning more and more to take advantage of the annual post-Christmas and New Year sales. The entire period through the New Year break, and most of the last week in fact, has been a busy one for retailers. We expect to see electronic transaction levels continue to increase in 2005 as people become less dependant on cash.”

ENDS

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