GST good news for local online retailers

GST will have little effect on shopping habits but good news for local online retailers

With GST on online purchases kicking in this October, will we be deterred from our online addiction? According to respondents to Canstar Blue’s online shopping consumer research the answer is no. Only 29 percent said the new rules will put them off purchasing from overseas websites. The annual study, which measures customer satisfaction with New Zealand-based online department store websites, found Mighty Ape hit the sweet spot with customers, receiving five stars in five out of the six categories measured.

Nearly a third (31 percent) of those surveyed conduct around half of their shopping online, while 15 percent use online shopping for everything. Convenience was the main driver for heading to the computer, with 70 percent of respondents listing it as the reason they shop online. Ease of finding what they’re looking for (56 percent) and price (54 percent) complete the top three drivers.

This is great news for New Zealand-based online retailers says General Manager Canstar New Zealand, Jose George “From the six metrics we measured, speed of delivery was the key driver of overall satisfaction with online shopping sites. “That puts New Zealand-based online retailers at a considerable advantage,” says Mr George.

“While overseas sites will continue to be popular due to the huge range they can offer, New Zealand sites can compete strongly on speed and service, which our research shows customers value the most.”

The full research commentary can be found on Canstar Blue’s website here.
Research highlights 67% of respondents have used an online “department store” in the last 12 months 83% of respondents have used an overseas site for online shopping Top reasons for shopping online are convenience (70%), easier to find what you’re looking for (56%) and price (46%) 31% of respondents do half of all shopping online 15% of respondents do almost all of their shopping online Mighty Ape was voted by consumers as the online department store offering the best satisfaction
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