Kiwis have lifted online shopping to heights never before seen – so much so, it has sparked a change in NZ Post as they announce a move to a single brand and a refreshed visual identity.
NZ Post's new e-commerce research, The Full Download 2021, highlights that online shopping in New Zealand increased about 25 per cent last year – with Kiwis spending more than $5.8 billion and online shopping spiking at a 105 per cent increase during Covid-19 alert level 3 last year.
The report shows more Kiwis are becoming comfortable shopping online – we're buying our groceries, appliances, clothing and even DIY materials online. Now 52 per cent of the adult population is shopping online, with a 12 per cent increase in people over 60 embracing the digital path to purchase.
"The world's changed and we're changing with it," says NZ Post chief executive David Walsh. "We've been around for as long as New Zealand can remember and the growth of online shopping and parcel delivery will allow us to be around for many years to come."
NZ Post will also be embracing sub-brands, including Pace and CourierPost, into one brand – NZ Post. The change will also mean a new visual identity for NZ Post, to be revealed later this month.
"As part of moving to a single brand, NZ Post wants to make sure that it represents who we are and what we're about," says Walsh. "We want Kiwis to know it's NZ Post delivering for them and supporting their e-commerce businesses to succeed. We want Kiwis to know NZ Post is here to continue connecting New Zealanders as we move into the future."
An increase in Kiwis clicking 'add to cart' means an increase in parcels that need delivering and Walsh says NZ Post is proud to be the largest delivery business for online shopping in New Zealand.
"We've been delivering mail for over 180 years and it's still a core part of what we do," he says. "Our Posties are one of the most celebrated community figures in every neighbourhood in New Zealand. Whether on foot, bicycle or in our 100 per cent electric Paxster vehicles, we are out there delivering mail to over 2 million letterboxes across New Zealand every day."
However, Walsh says delivery of parcels has reached levels that the people in the Post Office in 1840 could never have imagined.
"In 2020, NZ Post delivered over 85 million parcels. Over the Christmas period in 2020, we were delivering about three parcels every second, across the length and breadth of the country."
He says The Full Download research shows that online shopping currently takes up about 11 per cent of all retail in New Zealand – so there is huge room for growth.
"We know we need to be prepared to deliver at least five parcels every second in the years to come, as more and more Kiwis embrace the convenience of online shopping.
"To meet this demand, we are investing more than $170 million in our parcel processing infrastructure. We're building new parcel processing sites in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch and are loading these sites up with state-of-the-art technology, that will scan and sort parcels at a super-fast rate.
The lion's share of online spending (71 per cent) last year was with Kiwi businesses, which Walsh says is "great news for our local e-tailers".
"NZ Post is committed to continuing to support Kiwi businesses and remain the number one delivery partner for Kiwis. We'll continue to support businesses who are looking to broach the e-commerce waters, as well as established businesses looking to grow – including internationally. "
Walsh says NZ Post's delivery people "are really proud" of the role they play in connecting New Zealanders and bringing smiles to their faces: "We're supporting our people to be the happiest, healthiest and safest people at work in Aotearoa, using new technologies including low-emission vehicles, so we can all work together to deliver every day what New Zealanders care about."
