Local Stores Beat Online for Last Minute Shoppers

Local Stores Beat Online for Last Minute Shoppers

Auckland, New Zealand – December 9, 2015 – The majority of New Zealanders will be doing their Christmas shopping at local stores and service providers this year, despite two thirds of New Zealanders shopping online at least once a month.

The annual MasterCard Christmas Shopping Research found although 66% of New Zealanders regularly shop online, when it comes to Christmas shopping 70% of consumers will be purchasing gifts in store this year.

“Online shopping remains popular for many New Zealanders, except when it comes to buying Christmas gifts. For those shoppers who haven’t been purchasing gifts throughout the year, they tend to purchase in-store in the few days before Christmas. Christmas is the biggest spending period of the year and these findings are positive for local New Zealand retailers,” says Peter Chisnall, Country Manager for MasterCard New Zealand.

13% of those surveyed said they would purchase gifts from local online retailers, and only 6% said they would buy gifts from international online retailers.

“When it comes to picking up last minute gifts, checking out goods in store and convenience of making a dash to the shop on Christmas Eve is something Kiwis value. Last minute Christmas shopping can be even quicker with the increasing uptake and acceptance of contactless payments,” says Chisnall.

Finding the best price was the most important factor for the decision to purchase gifts (44% – critically important) followed by quality of the goods purchased (40% – critically important).

Those who decided to purchase goods in-store said the primary reason was the ability to inspect goods before purchasing them. This was followed by convenience of being able to get the gift immediately. Consumers who shop online stated that their top reason was to take advantage of cheaper prices.

When choosing to shop online, the majority of respondents in 2015 indicated it depends what they are buying when it comes to choosing between local or international sites (52%), with 35% saying they prefer to use local online sites to make purchases.

Top five gifts purchased in store
1. Food, wine and spirits (74%)
2. Homewares (68%)
3. Clothing and accessories (58%)
4. Sports and outdoor equipment (47%)
5. Technology and electronics (47%)

Top five gifts purchased on NZ based online sites
1. Vouchers for goods and services (33%)
2. Books, DVDs or CDs (22%)
3. Toys and games (21%)
4. Technology and electronics (15%)
5. Homewares (11%)

Top five gifts purchased on overseas online sites
1. Books, DVDs or CDs (21%)
2. Make up and fragrances (10%)
3. Clothing and accessories (9%)
4. Toys and games (7%)
5. Technology and electronics (6%)

ENDS

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