Online Shopping Drives Increase In Business Credit Demand Across Transport And Media Sectors

AUCKLAND – 19th November 2021 – Increased reliance on online shopping and the digitisation of many businesses is driving increased credit demand across two sectors. Figures from Equifax New Zealand for the September 2021 quarter show a 14.2% increase in enquiries in the media and telecommunication sector, and a +7.1% increase in the transport, postal and warehousing sector, when compared to the same quarter in 2020.
 

“Increases in these two business sectors reflect changing behaviours that have been driven by lockdowns,” says Equifax Managing Director Angus Luffman. “The last two years have seen a rapid shift in spending behaviour with more people exploring opportunities via online channels across all aspects of their lives. Whether it’s grocery shopping, recruitment, house purchases or social activities, we’re seeing that changing behaviour reflected in business credit demand.”
 

The Equifax New Zealand Quarterly Business Credit Demand Index for September 2021 shows an overall drop in enquiries (down -6.4% compared with the September 2020 quarter), but that’s against strong enquiry volumes in the September 2020 quarter, as the economy was bouncing back from last year’s lockdown. “The recovery started in the second half of 2020, with positive trends continuing up to the earlier part of quarter three in 2021, prior to the Delta lockdown,” says Luffman.
 

Across other sectors, business credit demand remains resilient despite the recent lockdown with many industries recording similar demand levels for the September 2021 quarter when compared with the same period in 2020.
 

Credit demand for business loans, which represent the largest proportion of commercial bureau enquiries by loan type, fell by -5.3% in the September 2021 quarter (vs the September 2020 quarter).
 

Credit demand for business loans, which represent the largest proportion of commercial bureau enquiries by loan type, fell by -5.3% in the September 2021 quarter (vs the September 2020 quarter). The direction of credit enquiry trends for business loans was mixed across industries, with the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector experiencing the largest reduction, down by 15.5%. but this sector has performed well across other product types, with a doubling of asset finance-related enquiries and a small drop in trade credit enquiries (-3.8%) for the same period. “This is good news for the sector, reflective of a strong demand for New Zealand’s key agricultural commodities,” says Luffman.

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