Almost Two-fifths Of New Zealanders Don’t Feel Safe Enough To Shop In-store This Black Friday

Almost two-fifths of New Zealanders don’t feel safe enough to shop in-store this Black Friday, according to a report released today

• New Black Friday and Covid-19 Report* released by PriceSpy says people’s fear of stepping inside physical shops during big sales events like Black Friday has risen since last year;
• Kiwis are still planning to shop, but more than ever will do it online this year;
• But with Covid-19 already causing delays and issues with stock compared to before the outbreak of the pandemic, will there be enough choice for shoppers this year?
  • PriceSpy stock data suggests almost three quarters (73 per cent) of computer & accessory products listed on its website are showing out of stock
• Prices are rising - New Zealand's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.2% in the third quarter, beating expectations and surging at the fastest pace in over a decade***
  • 72 per cent of Kiwis said they felt price points of consumer goods and grocery items have increased compared to pre-Covid times;
• 65 per cent of New Zealanders say they’re worried they won’t get their Black Friday-purchased items in time for Christmas;
  • Almost three in ten Kiwis say they are pre-ordering more goods rather than waiting until they are available or in-stock;
  • 59 per cent of people surveyed said they had experienced shipping/delivery delays on items they’d bought following the outbreak of Covid-19, with some reporting they’d waited months and even up to a year for them to arrive.

The new Black Friday and Covid-19 Report, by the fully impartial price and product comparison site, PriceSpy, reveals how the global pandemic is not only affecting shopping habits this year but also the price and availability of goods, leaving many shoppers fearing they’ll be Christmas present-less this year.

According to a survey** commissioned by PriceSpy for the report, almost two-fifths (38 per cent) of people said they didn’t feel safe enough to shop in physical stores this year for fear of being exposed to Covid-19, up 11 per cent on 2020. Despite this, more Kiwis than ever (65 per cent) are planning to shop during Black Friday/Black Week this year.

What’s more, the way we shop is changing. Even though Black Friday is traditionally an online shopping day, for the last three consecutive years (from 2017 to 2020), PriceSpy survey respondents estimated they would do the majority of their Black Friday shopping in-store compared to online.

This year, however, the results are very different - with almost two fifths (38 per cent) of survey respondents estimating they will do most of their Black Friday / Black Week shopping online (including click & collect), an increase of five per cent year-on-year.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, said: “These findings suggest safety when shopping is more important to Kiwis this year, perhaps due to the current situation and rising number of Covid-19 cases.

Last year, New Zealand wasn’t in lockdown,unlike much of the rest of the world. This year however, it’s looking increasingly likely shopping restrictions and social-distancing requirements will apply. So, people who would normally visit a physical shop to buy items are instead planning to visit the shop’s website instead.”

It’s been widely reported that the global pandemic has had a knock-on effect on the price of goods too, with manufacturing disruptions, rising operational costs and increased demand on shipping all playing a part.

This hasn’t gone unnoticed by consumers, with 72 per cent of those surveyed saying they felt price points of consumer goods and grocery items have increased in New Zealand compared to pre-Covid times.

And that can be backed up by data. New Zealand's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.2% in the third quarter, beating expectations and surging at the fastest pace in over a decade*. And historical pricing information from PriceSpy highlights this, too.

Source: PriceSpy (data highlights how prices have increased now vs pre-Covid times)

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett added: “With so many factors potentially affecting how much you’ll end up paying, it’s really important to carry out basic price research before shopping this Black Friday. It might also pay to be flexible and willing to change your buying habits should a deal arise earlier than Black Friday itself.”

PriceSpy’s Price Index data, which monitors prices points across the-most popular products listed on the price and product comparison website, suggests early price drops can be found from the start of November.

Source: PriceSpy’s Price Index

In saying this, pricing data from PriceSpy also found one in ten products listed on its site (8 per cent) increased in price in the weeks leading up to Black Friday, to then drop in price on the sales day to make discounts appear better than what they are.

Prices aren’t the only things impacted by Covid-19

Unfortunately, prices aren’t the only thing being impacted by Covid-19. Disruptions, delays and increased demand are all playing havoc with shoppers’ Black Friday shopping plans, says Liisa.

Almost three quarters (73 per cent) of New Zealanders said they had noticed certain items have not been available to purchase from stores/supermarkets following the global outbreak of Covid-19, listing toilet paper, baking goods, cat food and prunes as some of the examples.

This is also backed up by PriceSpy’s stock status insights, as seen below:

Source:PriceSpy

And 59 per cent of the people surveyed said they had experienced shipping/delivery delays on items they’d bought since the global pandemic, with some reporting they’d waited months and even up to a year for items to arrive.

To try and get around the issue, almost a third (29 per cent) of Kiwis say they are pre-ordering more goods rather than waiting until they were in-stock.

“We’ve seen a trend in pre-ordering electronic goods globally for a number of months now. Items like the PS5 and the new Xbox are always bagged by those who get in there early,” adds Liisa. “But due to Covid-19 affecting shipping, it could be that we see pre-ordering start being offered more across a suite of products rather than just the ‘big ticket’ items.”

According to the report, it’s clear Covid-19 has affected people’s confidence in sales shopping this year, with 65 per cent saying they’re worried they won’t get their Black Friday-purchased items in time for Christmas.

“The only thing we can be certain about this year is that nothing’s certain!” says Liisa. “Covid-19 has affected our lives in ways we could never have predicted and it’s unknown what’s going to happen next. The best thing to do in situations like this is prepare, and when it comes to shopping the best preparation comes in the form of price research with PriceSpy and not panic buy.

“Our stock insight data reveals supply issues are affecting retailers coming into the busy Christmas-buying season, with the shopping categories of computers & accessories, sports & outdoors, games & consoles and audio & video affected most.

“The stock shortage issue isn’t going to go away quickly. So, if people really want to buy an item, such as the PS5, they need to be prepared to purchase it earlier than what they originally planned, as demand for this console is skyrocketing with little to no availability globally. Or, they should be willing to wait for it to become available at a later date than the sale day.

“There will certainly be some good deals on Black Friday and during Black Week this year, but they may also crop up sooner. Given the current climate, and if there’s something you really want, it may be better to buy early to allow more time for delivery - especially if the item you’re after isn’t stocked in New Zealand.”

Keep up to date with all the Black Friday offers, here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

*Black Friday and Covid-19 Report 2021

To view and read the Black Friday and Covid-19 Report, please click here.

***Survey

The PriceSpy consumer omnibus survey in 2021 was conducted by 3Gem, in October 2020, on 500 New Zealand respondents.

The PriceSpy consumer omnibus survey in 2020 was conducted by 3Gem, in October 2020, on 500 New Zealand respondents.

The PriceSpy consumer omnibus survey in 2019 was conducted by Savanta, in October 2019, on 506 New Zealand respondents. The PriceSpy consumer omnibus survey in 2018 was conducted by VIGA (now Savanta), on 30 October 2018, on 527 New

Zealand respondents.

****Source: Reuters

PriceSpy insights (access graphs, here)

© Scoop Media