The pace of growth in online retail spending was mixed in August with continued strong sales in overseas markets, compared with almost flat sales in the domestic market.
The latest analysis of online spending by the Bank of New Zealand indicates that, overall, monthly spending rose 5 percent from August last year.
Purchases from overseas sites were up 13 percent in the month, while domestic purchases grew at just 0.5%.
When online discount retailers specialising in limited time offers are excluded from overall domestic sales, then online spending in New Zealand grew at 3 percent in August, which is about the same rate of growth (2.9%) as measured by the use of electronic cards at bricks and mortar shops.
The director of instituational research at the BNZ, Gary Baker, said he expects that online sales to continue to grow.
