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The value of electronic card transactions was 9.7 per cent higher in March than at the same time last year, says Statistics New Zealand.
Increasing uptake of the technology by merchants and increasing card usage by customers, as well as changes in consumer spending patterns and prices were behind the trend, SNZ said.
Last month there were 81 million electronic card transactions totalling $4.8 billion.
When adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, this represents a 0.7 per cent increase in total spending compared with February.
SNZ's retail and core retail Electronic Card Transaction series showed seasonally adjusted decreases over the same period.
