Leading Shopping Site Adds 100th Merchant

Country’s Leading Shopping Site Adds 100th Merchant

New Zealand’s leading online shopping mall Go-Shopping.co.nz has signed its 100th merchant Hill and Stewart as it continues its membership drive.

The site is generating sales for more than $60,000 per month with registered customers able to shop at any of the 100 stores represented on the one site, and make a single payment for all goods or services purchased online.

Go Shopping’s ‘multi merchant shopping cart’ is a unique feature of the site, and a key reason for its growing popularity, according to site founder, Arion Holdings’ Kerry Gordon.

"Most shopping sites are glorified links to other retail sites. Shoppers have to buy at each store they visit, which is time consuming and a hassle," said Gordon.

Go Shopping utilises Gordon’s proprietary electronic payment system Net-Fusion which means that shoppers need never transmit credit card or payment details across the Internet, and can put all their purchases into one shopping cart for a single payment.

However, when the credit card bill arrives, purchases from each online store in the mall is itemised – a task carried out by Net-Fusion.

"We’ve had a great response to both the single check-out at the security of no Internet transmission of payment details," he says. "Many people are concerned about transmitting card details online. Go Shopping is totally secure."

Gordon, who established Bartercard in New Zealand, says Go Shopping seeks to apply the principles of aggregated buying power in consumers’ interests.

"All the big players are doing it," he says, "yet the public are the biggest buying group of all."
Go Shopping’s use of vouchers, that can be purchased online and redeemed in physical stores mean that the site is not restricted to ‘low touch’ goods – the traditional preserve of the Internet – but has expanded into ‘high touch’ products, like clothes and restaurant dining.

"Our voucher system means shoppers gain the benefits of online prices, but can still enjoy a physical shopping experience when it comes to selecting goods – if they’re the kind of products you need to see, touch and try on."

Mr Gordon said that dining vouchers were proving particularly popular, offering savings of up to 30% on the cost of dining with vouchers emailed instantly to purchasers for redemption at the restaurant.

Mr Nigel Merrett Managing Director of Hill and Stewart said they had been attracted to Go Shopping by the low fees as well as the true online mall concept.

Mr Merrett said Go Shopping was a way for any kind of retailer to take advantage of the Internet to drive sales at a ‘clicks and bricks’ level.

Mr Gordon said that merchant response to the $895 one off payment to join Go Shopping had been enthusiastic.

"The fact that we offer a complete one stop shop for the merchants makes sense to those looking to put a toe in the water, with lower transaction costs, and you know shoppers are coming to the site for all sorts of reasons, including other bargains in the ‘mall’."

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