Kiwi Exporters See Opportunity Online
Auckland, 14 May 2012 – New Zealand exporters are realising the opportunity of selling online. In a recent DHL Rapid Response Survey, 88% of
exporters surveyed stated they perceive the growth of online shopping to be an opportunity as opposed to a threat. Even
of those exporters that don’t currently sell their products online, 80% still perceive the online retail as an
opportunity.
However just under half (46%) of exporters surveyed sell their products online. Furthermore, of those that sell online,
the majority of exporters (40%) only sell about 1-5% of their total sales via the Internet.
Tim Baxter, DHL country manager New Zealand says. “The response by exporters reflects the overall situation, that New
Zealand is very much in the early stages of adopting and embracing online sales. Especially compared to countries such
as the US and UK. While the majority of exporters see the potential opportunity presented by online exports, only a
minority are capitalizing on this opportunity and maximizing their sales potential.”
The survey also revealed that there is a divide between those exporters who have embraced the online retail environment
and those who have not.
Of those exporters that sell online, 65% have an online strategy with a further 15% planning to develop one this year.
Furthermore, 59% of exporters that sell online use some form of analytics tools to track customer behaviour on their
website.
Exporters are also beginning to offer multiple channels for customers to purchase their product. Of those exporters that
sell online, the majority (55%) sell via their own website, 23% sell via retailers, 13% sell via their own retail
outlets and 9% sell via a third party website.
“It’s positive to see exporters providing customers multiple channels to purchase and taking advantage of the large
well-established third party websites. These can become conduits to purchasers at home and abroad and can increase the
profile of a company in a global e-commerce environment. When coupled with a sustainable and reliable delivery solution,
exporters can have to have access to any market in the world,” says Tim Baxter
In contrast, of those exporters that don’t sell online, the vast majority of exporters (45%) primarily sell their
products via someone else’s retail store. A considerable 20% of exporters still rely on their own bricks and mortar
retail stores as the primary sales channel, with only 35% selling via both their own and third party stores.
“The cost of bricks and mortar retail models makes international expansion a barrier for many smaller organizations and
overseas retailers take a large cut of the profit. Online retail creates a unique opportunity to maximize local
profits,” says Tim Baxter.
About the survey
The DHL Rapid Response Survey (RRS) was conducted in late April and there were 111 respondents.
The DHL Rapid Response Survey is an initiative aimed at providing insights into the factors impacting on New Zealand’s
export trade.
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ENDS