Electronic card spending for July was more than 9% up on the same month last year, extending what the payments processer Paymark calls a trend of positive growth over the past 12 months.
Paymark head of sales and marketing Paul Whitson says several factors contributed to the 9.2% increase, including warm winter weather and more workdays.
However, he says the increase wasn't consistent across all sectors. Takeaway food outlets, cafes and restaurants continued to enjoy strong growth, as did hardware stores, but growth rates were lower for department stores and clothing retailers.
Regionally, Palmerston North had the greatest increase: 11.6%. Spending fell in only one region - the West Coast.
