Ms Nuthall said her business still did quite a few online sales but people generally called before they purchased.
"New Zealanders are a little bit paranoid, maybe because of experiences with overseas websites.
"There's lots of rogue websites, especially in this industry. Once someone's had one bad experience where what they have ordered isn't the right colour or the quality's not very good, they're hesitant to buy online again."
Ms Nuthall has also enlisted a stockist in Auckland to give more customers the opportunity to try before buying.
Marketview managing director Stephen Bridle said it was interesting to see New Zealanders living outside of metro areas embracing online spending on overseas sites.
"The growth in e-commerce internationally has started putting 5th Ave and Oxford St into the living rooms and kitchens of provincial New Zealand households - and they seem to love it," he said.
Nationally, online spending was up 12 per cent from December 2013.
At domestic merchants, online spending increased 7 per cent year-on-year. BNZ institutional research director Gary Baker said it was a strong result for December as online spending had been growing at only 3 or 4 per cent per annum for most of the year .
Overall, it seemed the proportion of Christmas presents bought online increased another notch in 2014, Mr Baker said.
"This year we have seen a shift in the timing of online purchases, with an increase in the percentage of domestic online transactions completed in the three days just prior to Christmas," he said.
"A few delayed transactions aside, it seems to us this is an indication of consumers' growing confidence in shopping online, and their willingness to wait for those best last-minute deals. It also points to the efficiency of New Zealand e-tailers' supply chains."
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