Taranaki breeds big spenders
Taranaki traders are being urged to beat internet retailers at their own game after new figures showed people in the region were outspending the rest of New Zealand online.
Across the country, Kiwis spent $3.6 billion online in 2017, which was just over eight per cent of New Zealand retail spending. Taranaki shoppers spent an average of $124.50 every time they bought online – more than people in Auckland and Wellington, who spent an average of $121.70 and $109.80 respectively.
‘‘Locally the impact of online shopping is being felt mostly by retailers of clothing and footwear, followed closely by specialist retailers of homewares,’’ Taranaki CBD Business and Retail Association (Bara) Coordinator Michelle Brennan said in an emailed statement.
‘‘The challenge for local retailers is to ensure their online presence is appealing and userfriendly but also look at retail trends including when people are more likely to shop.’’
But
Brennan said there was still an appetite for shopping in store.
‘‘Customers want a welcoming and personal experience and you can’t beat trying on, touching or testing the product or the salesperson’s knowledge in store.’’
Nick Bull, the owner of New Plymouth’s Shoe Clinic, which was named the 2018 TSB Top Shop, agreed.
Bull’s store has an online presence, which only sells ‘‘a couple of pairs a month... if that’’, but he said their in-store sales prevail.
‘‘The problem with buying shoes online is fit, feel and size,’’ he said.
The Shoe Clinic specialises in finding the right shoe for each customer. ‘‘That process, a lot of time and expertise goes into it,’’ Bull said.
Liz Davidson, manager of New Plymouth clothing store Bettie Monroe, said while they had an extensive online store, she wasn’t a fan of pushing local businesses onto the internet.
‘‘We’re stylists,’’ Davidson said. ‘‘How does that keep your door open?
‘‘Putting it online, it gets rid of someone’s job.’’
One New Plymouth business moved online but said the website mostly worked as an advertising tool. Belinda Hunt, owner and designer of Lushington designer jackets, closed her store’s doors four months ago.
‘‘We just weren’t making ends meet,’’ Hunt said. ‘‘In the shop, it’s hard retail.
‘‘You really need to pay staff, pay rent and make enough money to pay yourself.’’
Now customers make appointments to see and try on Hunt’s stock after visiting the website. ‘‘For me, I don’t sell anything online.’’
Hunt said she loves to online shop but thinks she’s a minority.
‘‘A lot of my age group are not confident,’’ the 56-year-old said. ‘‘But I can understand why Taranaki is buying online.
‘‘For the cheaper range of stuff I can see why it’s easier to. ‘‘It’s just the convenience.’’ According to figures published in the Full Download: 2018 New Zealand eCommerce Review, online shopping is growing at a rate of 13 per cent, and is fuelled by a 23 per cent increase in spending with overseas companies.
The survey, based on card transactions, was carried out by NZ Post and analytics consultancy Datamine.
‘‘The average online shopper spends over $2350 online each year, with rural online shoppers now the largest spenders, each spending over $2500 online in
2017,’’ NZ Post chief marketing officer Bryan Dobson said.
‘‘But eCommerce is still growing. Globally it is twice the size it was five years ago.’’
In May, Stuff reported that stay-at-home consumers shopping for online specials during long weekends increased mail deliveries at New Plymouth’s postal operation centre by up to
2000 more parcels a week compared to 2017.