Despite a bounce back in online trade for domestic retailers, latest figures show they've still lost some of the market to their overseas counterparts.
Photo: RNZ
The Bank of New Zealand's online retail sales index for the three months ended January, shows the market share for foreign merchants is at its highest level recorded so far, at 42 percent in January.
BNZ research director Gary Baker says domestic traders are losing out which could be for a range of reasons including that the international market provides a range of goods that can't be bought in New Zealand, the GST issue and a strong exchange rate.
He says the momentum suggests that international sales will continue growing for some time yet.
The value of online retail increased as a whole, but particularly around clothing, which was 26 percent higher in January than it was in January last year.
Mr Baker says online sales grew at three times the rate of traditional, in-store sales.
He says the figures break online sales down into eight sectors and three of them - groceries and liquor, furniture and housewares and entertainment media, toys, games and books - are growing at more than 20 percent per annum.
Mr Baker says consumers are getting more and more used to buying online, and we could start to see more internet sales of bulkier household items in line with overseas trends.
