Online shopping maintains its pandemic momentum

Kiwis are cutting their spending as they respond to high inflation, but the online shopping boom shows no signs of slowing.

The latest NZ Post ecommerce report shows that total spending was down 4% in the second quarter of 2022 when compared to the same period in 2021. However, even with no lockdowns, people are sticking with online spending.

Online shopping up 52% compared to prepandemic days

Although physical stores are now open with few restrictions, that hasn’t led to a decline in online sales. Online shoppers, according to the report, “are not making the switch back to instore but they are tightening their purse…[by] buying with less frequency.”

Compared to quarter two in 2019 – the equivalent period before the pandemic – online shopping sales in 2022 were up 52%.

Who’s shopping online?

Older consumers are less likely to shop online than younger people:

• 18% of online shopping spend is by those aged 15 to 29 years

• 67% is people aged 30 – 59

• 12% is people aged 60 – 74

The largest location for ecommerce consumers is, unsurprisingly, Auckland, where 35% of online shoppers live. Twelve percent of shoppers were from Canterbury, and another 12% from Wellington.

The most common online shopping category was food and groceries, followed by variety retail, then clothing and footwear.

Need help maximising online sales?

If you want to make the most of the online shopping market, you need to weigh up your costs with your revenue. We can help you make decisions, create forecasts and position your business to enhance its profitability from online sales. Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.