Despite being keen online shoppers, most New Zealanders are still looking to do the bulk of their Christmas shopping with local retailers this year, with the ability to browse and inspect goods before purchase a deciding factor for many, according to new MasterCard research* on Christmas shopping trends. The research also revealed that the top gifts searched for at local stores are wine and food.
The survey of over a thousand New Zealanders showed that whilst over half of us (57%) make purchases online at least monthly, just 17% will be doing their Christmas shopping online this year – the majority (73%) hitting the pavements instead to tick off their lists this year.
“Whilst many New Zealanders regularly shop online for themselves, or when they are looking for something specific – when it comes to finding the right gift for their children, friends and family, the findings suggest that the ability to drop into a store to browse and take a closer look at items is still hard to beat,” says MasterCard NZ Country Manager Peter Chisnall.
“The lead up to Christmas can be a busy time, and whilst we’ll do our best to plan ahead, many of us will no doubt also be relying on popping out on that last minute lunchtime dash to get things sorted. With the increasing availability of contactless MasterCard® PayPass™ terminals at retailers meaning speedier transactions around the country, this should go a long way to helping cut queues and lower the stress associated with that seasonal rush,” he said.
Overall, the top gifts being searched for at local stores were food and wine (89%), homeware (83%), and clothing, accessories and sports goods (76%).
For those looking to do their Christmas shopping online, the choice between using overseas and local websites was largely dependent on what item they were looking to buy – although nearly a third (29%) expressed that they prefer to use New Zealand websites.
Books, DVDs and CDs were the gifts most likely to be bought online (51%), followed by vouchers for goods and services (48%), toys and games (35%), and make up and fragrances (34%).
“Kiwis are generally savvy online shoppers, however this Christmas as always, we encourage them to take care with their personal information, and make sure they check website security, payment details, returns policy and protection cover before purchase, “says Chisnall.
*This MasterCard commissioned omnibus study was conducted online amongst 1,020 New Zealanders aged between 18 and above. The results were weighted on gender, age and region to ensure a nationally representative sample was achieved.
