While all regions have experienced growth in online spending, not all are growing at the same rate. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s the regional areas that are dominating growth with Northland and Taranaki the best performers, supported by double-digit growth in Gisborne and the Hawkes Bay. At the other end of the spectrum, we’re seeing slower, but steady, growth across all regions in the South Island.
Northland
44% increase in online spend in the last 12-months compared to the previous 12-months. This is driven by a 30% increase in transactions and 8% increase in basket size.
The key drivers of growth have been:
64%increased Buy Now |
$105Basket size (up 8%) |
125More customers |
48%Growth in Homewares, |
39%Growth in Food, |
23%Growth in |
Taranaki
54% increase in online spend in the last 12-months compared to the previous 12-months. This is spearheaded by a 36% increase in transactions and 9% increase in basket size.
The key drivers of growth have been:
98%Increased Homewares, |
54%Increased Buy Now |
$109Basket size (up 9%) |
49%Increased Food, |
-3%Decreased spend in Recreation, |
13%More customers |
The South Island
In the last 12-months, compared to the previous 12-months, online spending in the South Island has increased by a steady 9%. The West Coast and Nelson/Marlborough regions lead the way, with slightly less spectacular growth numbers the further south you go.
Even before the events of 2020, we saw the South Island’s adoption of online shopping lag that of the North Island. There isn’t one obvious driver for this but a variety of factors coming together. These could include demographics (fewer people, geographic spread, more rural); shopping preferences such as buying from local producers and face-to-face interaction; the availability of options; and infrastructure (less businesses that offer online options, longer shopping distances).
Last 12-months by region (compared to previous 12-months):
22%West Coast |
9%Canterbury |
6%Otago |
7%Southland |
12%Tasman |
19%Nelson/Marlborough |
