01-11-2016, 02:19 PM
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Online shopping is not new – people have been clicking on
‘Buy Now’ boxes for at least a couple of decades, and you
don’t need the latest stats to convince you of its popularity.
But just in case you do, according to the ecommerce.org.
nz website, annual online spending in New Zealand is now
equivalent to around 9.5 percent of traditional retail sales
(excluding grocery and liquor). It’s a given that shopping
online will continue to outpace traditional retail growth.
One aspect of online shopping (procurement) that has
demonstrated steady growth in recent times is in the
business sector. Businesses of all sizes are discovering the
time-saving convenience of shopping online for everyday
consumables – and that includes goods you would have
traditionally sourced in person from your local supermarket.
At Countdown, home shopping began on a trial basis
in 1996 with around just 100 customers. It was based in
Auckland and fulfilment was from Woolworths Manurewa.
Fast forward to 2015 and the service now extends to 99
percent of the country, including the Chatham Islands!
Gemma Hogan, online development manager for
Countdown, says orders have increased by around 15
percent year on year, with growth particularly strong in
rural areas, and at last count there were more than 80,000
regular online shoppers.
Businesses make up an increasing number of those
shoppers. Blair Braiden, customer care-office manager for
online insurance company Life Direct, is one shopper who’d
never go back to the old ways.
“We started using Countdown online shopping last year. I
love that I can order the groceries for the office online in just
ten minutes and they are delivered later that day,” he says.
Braiden uses the service at least once a week, usually
on a Monday morning. “I order everything we’re going to
need for the week. Milk and coffee are the big things for
us. I also order batteries and bathroom supplies along with
cleaning products and sweets for the lolly jar – and fruit for
the fruit bowl!”
Being able to buy everything online and have it delivered
saves time and allows him to get on with more important
things, says Braiden. “The website’s easy to use, has great
suggestions from previous orders, in case I’ve forgotten
to add something, and you can get OneCard discounts and
points. The online site lets you add notes to each item as
well, so the personal shopper can pick the right item!
“The whole user experience is great,” says Braiden. “The
invoices are available the following day, making it very easy to keep track of everything.” Life Direct also orders ‘tech
stuff’ and stationery supplies online, he says.
Michelle Hawke at software development firm
Propellerhead is another convert to online shopping, and
has been ordering from Countdown since January 2013
– initially weekly before moving to a twice weekly shop
mid-2014.
Hawke also rates the Countdown online user experience
highly, describing the platform as “clear and full of
information regarding the products”.
The majority of purchases by Propellerhead are now
made online, says Hawke. “It is much easier and faster to
view products online and get approval for purchases than if
we had to go out and [physically] do the research.”
The one downside of online shopping in general, she
believes, is not being able to assess the quality of products
being purchased until they arrive. Be aware of delivery fees
too, she advises.
However, Countdown has both those issues covered.
Gemma Hogan says their ‘personal shopper notes’ feature
allows customers to write notes to the person doing the
shop. “So you can advise how you like your fresh products
picked.
“Countdown also has a Fresh or Free policy when it
comes to produce.”
Countdown’s delivery fees are highly competitive.
Deliveries normally cost $8.75 for baskets of goods costing
more than $250, $11.75 for goods costing $200–$249,
$13.75 for goods costing $100–$199, and $15.75 for smaller
shops. But the supermarket’s Delivery Pass can reduce
fees to just $5.90 per order, based on the purchase of a
six-month Delivery Pass, or $6.90 per order with a threemonth
Delivery Pass.