There has been a lot of discussion recently about the move to impose GST on online purchases.
This issue highlights something I think is very important. If you are selling anything in New Zealand, you need to have an online presence.
Whether you like it or not, Kiwis buy stuff on the internet. A lot of stuff. And the Government is taking notice. In June this year, online retail spending was up almost 20 per cent compared with June 2014. There was double-digit annual growth in purchases at local and international sites.
International spending was up 29 per cent on June 2014 - despite a drop in our dollar that makes purchases from those sites more expensive.
But the weird thing is, a recent MYOB State of the Digital Nation report found less than half New Zealand businesses have an online presence, whether that is a website or a social media site.