NZ Consumer Sentiment - Q3 2012

NEW ZEALAND CONSUMER SENTIMENT

Auckland, New Zealand (2 November 2012) – New Zealand consumer confidence increased marginally to 95 in Q3 2012, remaining relatively low as it has done for the past three quarters according to Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy. (see chart)

In the latest round of the survey, conducted between August 10 and September 7, 2012, New Zealand is slightly behind Australia, where consumer confidence increased by eight points to 98. Consumer confidence levels above and below a baseline of 100 indicate degrees of optimism and pessimism.

Rob Clark, Managing Director, Nielsen New Zealand observes: “Improving consumer sentiment is still a slow process. Any spare cash continues to be used to pay down debt or put into savings. Many New Zealanders remain nervous about job prospects and as a result are cautious about spending.”

Consumers continue to seek ways to save, with 7 out of 10 respondents stating they have changed their spending habits to save on household expenditure compared to the previous year. Nearly two thirds of consumers saved on expenditure by trying to save on gas and electricity (65%), cutting down on takeaway meals (63%) and switching to cheaper grocery brands (61%).

Clark adds, “Retailers understand market conditions and in particular the everyday cost of living pressures consumers face. The good news is that prices are not going up, especially in the important food and grocery sector. In fact in many areas prices have come down for everyday items”

The Global Perspective
India (119) and Indonesia (119) reported the highest index scores in Q3 while China’s index score increased 0.6 to 106 and the US increased three points to 90.
The biggest quarterly consumer confidence gains in Q3 were reported in Switzerland (+10), Belgium (+9), Australia (+8), Thailand (+8), Hungary (+7), Norway (+7), United Arab Emirates (+6), Italy (+5) and Canada (+5).
The biggest quarterly consumer confidence declines in Q3 were reported in Hong Kong (-15), Argentina (-11), South Korea (-10), Vietnam (-8), Colombia (-8), Israel (-7), Venezuela, (-7), Malaysia (-6) and Finland (-5).

ENDS

About the Nielsen Global Survey
The Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions was conducted August 10 – September 7, 2012 and polled more than 29,000 online consumers in 58 countries throughout Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and North America. The sample has quotas based on age and sex for each country based on their Internet users, and is weighted to be representative of Internet consumers and has a maximum margin of error of ±0.6%. This Nielsen survey is based on the behavior of respondents with online access only. Internet penetration rates vary by country. Nielsen uses a minimum reporting standard of 60 percent Internet penetration or 10M online population for survey inclusion. The China Consumer Confidence Index is compiled from a separate mixed methodology survey conducted among 3,500 respondents in China. The Nielsen Global Survey, which includes the Global Consumer Confidence Index, was established in 2005.

About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and related properties. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

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