(PR.co.nz) Auckland based ecommerce specialists, Solutionists, have paired up with the New Zealand Retailers Association to survey 5000+ New Zealand retailers. The survey provides insight into the online intentions of retailers for the next year, and revealed that almost half of New Zealand retailers are already selling online, with 40% more considering joining them within the next 12 months.
Investment into ecommerce over the next 12 months will pay off for New Zealand retailers as online sales statistics worldwide increase year after year. “Our clients have seen amazing online sales growth this year, especially considering how tough retail has been” says Solutionists Managing Director, Frank Gilbert. In many cases online stores outperform physical stores as New Zealanders become more aware of and dependent on shopping online. A high proportion of retailers already understand the value of selling online, with 35.2% expecting the bulk of their business growth to come from online sales.
Main areas online in which retailers are planning to improve include building a brand new website, adding a shop to an existing site, and adding a new design to the current site. “We have noticed that clients who invested in improvements such as branded sub-sites and email newsletter tools have achieved a strong return. Now the focus is more on leveraging their social media efforts with embedded blogs, product reviews and Facebook integration” Gilbert comments.
Solutionists specialise in building fully featured online stores for retailers. Clients include prominent New Zealand brands such as Barkers Menswear, Burnsco Marine, Overland Footwear, Elite Fitness, Mi Piaci, Ruby Boutique, Nicholas Jermyn and K&K Fashions. The survey gave them valuable insight into how their industry is progressing in New Zealand and how much resource is going into online business.
Media Release 13 October 2010 from Solutionists Ltd.