Sunday, 22 September 2013
Our Digital Universe: NZ smartphone users ahead of Australians on mobile banking
New Zealanders have been slower to take up smartphones than their Trans-Tasman counterparts—but once they get one, they
are more likely to bank on them, the latest Digital Universe report from Roy Morgan Research shows.
Just 38.6% of New Zealanders 14+ have a smartphone, compared with 59.7% of Australians 14+. But while Australia may be
home to over eight times as many smartphone users overall, New Zealand’s 1.4 million are more likely to use them for
mobile banking activities.
In the first half of 2013, 33.5% of New Zealand’s smartphone users did one or more banking and finance activity on their
phone in an average four weeks, compared with 30.6% of Australian smartphone users.
Kiwi users are 24% more likely than Aussies to check bank account balances (30.5% vs 24.6%) and 33% more likely to view
statements (14.2% vs 10.7%) within a four week period.
But despite these higher rates of account-checking, we are somewhat more reluctant to use our mobiles to execute actual
transactions. The proportion of smartphone users making bank transactions or paying bills is almost identical in New
Zealand and Australia: 21.1% of Kiwi and 21.5% of Aussie smartphoners make transactions on their phones, with 12.3% and
12.4% respectively use their phone to pay bills.
ENDS