Kiwi shoppers ahead of usual last-minute Christmas rush: survey

Shoppers at Westfield St Lukes in Auckland. Photo / Natalie Slade

It's the time of the year where everyone hits the shops - mostly last minute, but figures shows many Kiwis already have their Christmas shopping wrapped.

A survey of 1000 Kiwis conducted by online marketplace Trade Me shows most New Zealanders have their Christmas presents in check, with almost 50 per cent of shoppers already finished their Christmas shopping before December.

Of the people surveyed, just 10 per cent said they would frantically be buying presents just a week before the big day and one per cent said they were waiting until Christmas Eve to get the job done.

Forty per cent of people said they would spend between $25 and $50 on each gift and a third of people said they would spend between $200 and $500 in total on Christmas shopping.

Most people said they found buying for children the easiest - and spend the most on them, with electronics at the top of the wish-list for most.

Shoppers said they found parents and partners were the hardest to buy for.

Interestingly, 77 per cent said they would be doing their shopping online. Eighty five per cent said they would do at least some Christmas shopping online.

Retail NZ general manager of public affairs, Greg Harford, said annual shopping festival Black Friday and following discount day Cyber Monday was likely the reason many Kiwis had already wrapped up their festive shopping.

"For retailers, the Christmas shopping season really started several weeks ago, so it's no surprise that a large proportion of Kiwis are saying that they have already finished their Christmas shopping," Harford said.

"The great deals we saw on and around Black Friday gave people some real incentives to hit the shops early and we saw a big jump in spending a couple of weeks back as a result."

Kiwis spent $442 million over the Black Friday weekend, up more than 85 per cent from the $238m spent last year. As a result, retail spending has been quieter over the past couple of weeks, Harford said.

"Retail NZ expects things will hot up again before Christmas, and we are seeing some retailers coming to the market with pre-Christmas sales to stimulate consumer spending."

The sector anticipates a big increase in spending on food, especially on groceries and drink items, clothes and outdoor gear as Kiwis get out and about to enjoy warmer weather, Harford said.

"A lot of that spend will be yet to come, and many consumers will likely also find there are unplanned presents they still need to pick up before the big day," he said. "We are definitely seeing big increases in online shopping year on year, and customers are increasingly wanting to avoid traffic and crowds, and save time, either by using "click and collect" services, or by having goods delivered."

Retail NZ recommends Kiwis shop local online to ensure the goods are covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act, he said.