Three quarters of Kiwis say they now shop online

NEWS RELEASE

Survey reveals three quarters of Kiwis say they now shop online
iPhone, televisions and gaming machines top the shopping list

Auckland, 8 October 2007 – New Zealanders have embraced the internet as an online marketplace with 76 percent of Kiwis confirming they shop online, according to research1 released today by Visa International.

The recent strength of the New Zealand dollar has also been cited as a factor, with a quarter of New Zealanders saying they are purchasing more online as a result. In particular, males (31 percent) and younger New Zealanders aged between 18 and 39 years (30 percent) said they were more likely to shop online because of the strength of the New Zealand dollar.

When it comes to the most sought after new or soon to be released piece of technology, the Apple iPhone comes out on top at 15 percent followed by a new television (13 percent), Playstation 3 (12 percent), laptop (seven percent), MP3 player (six percent), digital camera or computer (four percent) and DVD recorder or mobile phone (three percent).

Iain Jamieson, Visa International’s New Zealand Country Manager, said it is great to see such a large number of New Zealanders saying they enjoy the flexibility and ease of shopping online.

“Our research demonstrates that Kiwis have confidence in the internet as a place to shop,” Mr. Jamieson said.

Visa is currently the only payment card company in New Zealand to offer its cardholders the option of credit, debit or prepaid Visa cards allowing them to either buy now and pay later, buy now and pay now, or pay now and buy later.

“With credit, debit and prepaid cards, Visa is giving its cardholders greater choice in the way they can pay, making it even easier for Kiwis to manage their finances and shop online,” adds Mr Jamieson.

Books are the most common item purchased over the internet, particularly among females and the middle aged, recording 53 percent and 52 percent of all purchases made respectively.

DVDs are the most common purchases among males and those aged under 40. Clothing and accessories are the most popular purchases for those aged 18 to 39 years old.

In other shopping trends picked up in the survey, 42 percent of Kiwis plan to upgrade their TV within the next two years to a large flat widescreen television. However, New Zealanders are slightly behind Australians when it comes to their love of new TVs with 61 percent of Kiwis having either installed or planning to upgrade their TV within the next two years compared with 68 percent of Australians.

About Visa: Visa operates the world’s largest retail electronic payments network providing processing services and payment product platforms. This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world and Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170 countries.

For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com

ENDS

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