New Zealand’s Online Shoppers Are Addicted

The number of New Zealanders shopping online may not be growing as fast these days, but those who do shop online are “hooked,” Nielsen says. Half of all online shoppers in the country have purchased six or more items online, compared to only 38 percent five years ago. The most popular online purchases are flights and other travel-related services (e.g., hotels, car rentals). Overall, New Zealanders buy 18.2 million items online a year, totaling $4.6 billion, $1.6 billion of which is spent on overseas Web sites. The amount spent on overseas Web sites is estimated at $1.6 billion. Two-thirds of online shoppers have purchased from an overseas Web site in the last three months, up from 61 percent in 2014.

"The Big Business Of E-Commerce", Report, Nielsen, July 07, 2015

Consumers Expect To Do More Online Grocery Shopping, Survey Reveals

Consumers in the United States are likely to buy more groceries online, according to natural and organic online grocer Door to Door Organics. Results of a survey of 1,100 online grocery shoppers revealed 54 percent of respondents said they had increased their online grocery shopping by an average of 29 percent, while fewer than 4 percent said they had decreased their online grocery shopping in the last year. In general, shoppers said online grocery stores accounted for 19 percent of their total weekly grocery shopping. Data revealed 23 percent of respondents said they do not buy fresh grocery products online. Among those who said they purchase fresh products online, 57 percent said they had been disappointed in the quality and freshness of the products at least once in the past year.

"Consumers Increase Amount Of Grocery Shopping They Complete Online", PR Newswire, June 29, 2015

Alibaba Buys Stake In Luxury Online Store Mei.com

Alibaba Group Holding invested more than $100 million in Shanghai-based luxury online shopping company Mei.com. Part of Alibaba's efforts to expand its luxury business, the move will see Mei.com complementing the Chinese e-commerce giant's current selection of affordable luxury products for local consumers. Also, the move supports Alibaba's efforts to expand the luxury offerings of its online store Tmall.com.

"Alibaba invests $100 mln in luxury-focused Mei.com", Market Watch, July 08, 2015

Remote Mobile Commerce Impacted By Three Trends In 2015, Study Shows

There are three trends driving growth in the remote mobile commerce market, according to Euromonitor International. Remote mobile commerce accounted for 98 percent of mobile payments made worldwide in the 46 markets studied by the research firm in 2014. Factors with the most impact on remote mobile commerce are the growing popularity of tablet devices and their adoption as primary platform for online purchases in markets, such as the United States, the UK, and Australia; and the transformation of the payment stage into a background step in the online purchasing process. Also playing a major role in remote mobile commerce is the convergence of social media and payments platforms.

"Three Trends Driving Forward Remote M-Commerce in 2015", Euromonitor International, June 30, 2015

Japan's Online Retail Market Expected To Grow Significantly, Euromonitor Says

Japan's online retail market is expected to grow 60.6 percent by 2019, after growing 84.3 percent from 2009 to 2014, according to Euromonitor. Japan's e-commerce sector did not boom as immediately as those in other countries, hindered by many consumers' reluctance to buy online. Changes in market conditions and consumer behavior, however, prompted Japanese shoppers to more readily adopt online buying. Data from the market research firm revealed the overall market was valued at 7.03 trillion in 2014. Japan's online market for apparel and footwear grew to 888.7 billion yen, or $7.25 billion, after growing 70.4 percent since 2009. Also, data from Euromonitor revealed companies that sell exclusively online dominate Japan's e-commerce market.

"Japan Sees E-tailing Boom as Retailers Go Omnichannel", Women’s Wear Daily, July 08, 2015

Ocado Promotes Online-grocery Retail Technology In UK And Overseas

Online-grocery retailer Ocado Group PLC aims to promote its e-commerce technology overseas and find foreign partner retailers that would adopt its online platform. Established by former Goldman Sachs bankers, Ocado sells groceries directly and licenses its technology and equipment to UK's fourth-largest retailer Wm. Morrison Supermarkets PLC. Data from market research firm Kantar revealed Ocado accounts for about 14 percent of the country's online-grocery market, which is forecast by the Institute of Grocery Distribution to double in value to ₤17 billion in the next five years.

"Online Grocer Ocado Pushes Its Technology", The Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2015