Retail spending is still showing signs of recovery, but consumers appear to be cautious about opening their wallets too wide.
The value of spending in core retail industries, which excludes spending on cars and fuel, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in August, Statistics New Zealand figures show.
That compares with a 1.1% increase in July, and follows rises every month since January.
The seasonally-adjusted value of all transactions rose 0.3% in August, to $4.8 billion.
Buyers are becoming increasingly reluctant to use credit, with the proportion of electronic transactions using credit cards decreasing to about 45% in the year to August, the eleventh consecutive decline.
