NZ at 'tipping point' over shopping with mobile phones

File photo / Thinkstock

MasterCard believes new technology enabling people to use mobile phones like credit cards will soon become popular with New Zealanders.

The cell phone technology allows people to pay for items at stores with credit on their mobile phones.

Instead of swiping their credit cards, people will be able to swipe their mobile phones over a sensor that deducts purchases.

MasterCard's country manager Albert Naffah said New Zealanders were at a "tipping point" with online shopping mobile payments.

Latest research from the credit card company indicated two-thirds of New Zealanders had internet access on their mobile phones, but found only 8 per cent of these internet users to be making online purchases in the past three months.

This was relatively low compared to other countries surveyed. Findings in Thailand showed 59 per cent of those surveyed used their mobile phones to make online purchases compared with 37 per cent of participants in China.

Findings also indicated almost half of New Zealanders surveyed used online mobile shopping due to its convenience.

Notably Australia ranked behind New Zealand in mobile online shopping, with only 7 per cent of participants using their mobile phones to make online purchases.