As online shopping continues to gain popularity among Kiwi consumers, having a eCommerce Website Development is crucial for retailers looking to drive online sales. The New Zealand eCommerce market, valued at over NZ$5 billion, offers lucrative opportunities for businesses selling online. In this article, we’ll look at key considerations, best practices, and marketing strategies for building a successful eCommerce site tailored to New Zealand.
Overview of eCommerce in NZ
First, let’s briefly examine the current eCommerce landscape in the country.
Growth of online shopping
According to stats from NZ Post, over 73% of New Zealanders shop online today. All signs point to ongoing growth, with nearly half of Kiwi consumers expecting to shop more online after the pandemic.
Most popular eCommerce categories
The most popular categories purchased online include fashion, electronics, hobbies and recreational items, groceries, and health and beauty products.
Benefits of having an eCommerce website
What drives New Zealand retailers to sell through eCommerce sites? Key benefits include:
Reach customers 24/7
Websites enable round-the-clock sales without physical store limitations. Kiwis are increasingly shopping online after traditional store hours.
Lower costs than physical retail
Online stores involve lower fixed costs than renting and staffing brick-and-mortar shops. Variable costs like digital marketing are more manageable as well.
Scalable and global reach
ECommerce sites can easily scale to handle more traffic and orders. They also open up export opportunities across Australia, Asia, and beyond.
Key platforms and solutions
Building an online store involves more than just launching a website. You need to carefully choose the right eCommerce platform, connect payment gateways, and optimize shipping and fulfillment.
Choosing an eCommerce Website Development platform
Popular options for New Zealand retailers include:
Shopify
This user-friendly SaaS platform is the dominant choice for small eCommerce sites. Shopify handles hosting, security, and manages key checkout functionality.
Magento
Magento offers robust features suited to larger product catalogs and higher order volumes, but requires more development work.
WooCommerce
This WordPress plugin is a flexible open-source option. Development costs are lower but you need to handle hosting and management.
Custom eCommerce Website Development Platforms
For complex use cases, custom eCommerce platforms built from scratch may be best. This offers ultimate flexibility but is costlier.
Payment gateway integration
To accept online payments, eCommerce platforms must integrate with payment gateways like:
Paymark
This New Zealand payment processor covers all major credit cards. They also offer various installment payment plans.
Payment Express
In addition to credit card processing, Payment Express enables bank transfers and wallet payments like Apple Pay.
Stripe
Stripe supports global payments and recurring billing. Their fraud protection also minimizes risk for merchants.
Shipping and fulfillment considerations
ECommerce infrastructure must support prompt order delivery and strong post-purchase experiences.
Inventory management
Synchronizing inventory between online and offline channels is vital to avoid stockouts or overselling.
Delivery partners
Reliable couriers like NZ Post and private players are key for predictable delivery timelines.
Click & Collect
Many customers enjoy picking up online orders in-store. Offering this can boost convenience and sales.
Best practices for NZ eCommerce sites
When designing your online store, keep these best practices in mind:
Fast page load speeds
Kiwis expect eCommerce sites to load quickly on all devices. Slow speeds lead to high abandonment rates.
Site optimization
Minify code, compress images, and optimize databases to accelerate load times.
Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
CDNs like Cloudflare cache site assets on global servers to reduce latency.
Image compression
Resize and compress images to cut page weight. Next-gen formats like WebP further reduce size.
Great responsive design
With over 80% of traffic coming from mobile, responsive design is essential.
Mobile-first approach
Optimize for mobile screens first before layering in desktop enhancements.
Flexible layouts
Layouts should gracefully adapt across screen sizes without horizontal scrolling or squished content.
Touch friendly interactions
Use properly sized tap targets and avoid hover-based menus. Accommodate fat finger touches.
Seamless checkout experience
Optimizing checkout funnel conversion rates boosts revenue.
Guest checkout
Many customers prefer checkout without creating accounts. Allow guest checkout.
Saved payment methods
Let customers save cards on your site for faster repeat purchases.
Progress trackers
Show step numbers and progress bars so customers know where they are in checkout.
Marketing your eCommerce site
Once your online store is ready, you need to drive qualified traffic to your site.
SEO optimization
Ranking high in Google search results brings free organic traffic.
Keyword research
Identify high-volume and long-tail keywords aligned to your products. Optimize pages for those terms.
Metadata, tags and schema
Properly structured metadata improves search appearance and understanding of your pages.
Link building
Earn links from relevant websites to boost domain authority and SERP rankings.
Social media marketing
Paid and organic social promotion helps spread awareness.
Facebook and Instagram ads
Run targeted product ads on these platforms. Retarget site visitors with discounts.
Influencer partnerships
Gifting products to aligned influencers exposes your brand to new audiences.
User-generated content
Run contests for customers to share photos with your products on social media.
Email marketing
Email nurtures relationships and triggers sales.
Welcome and cart abandonment flows
Send personalized emails to engage new subscribers and recover abandoning visitors.
Product updates and promotions
Email subscribers about new product launches, sales, and special offers.
Conclusion and key takeaways
- Choosing the right eCommerce platform tailored to your business needs is crucial.
- Fast site speeds, flawless responsive design, and seamless checkout fuel conversion rates.
- Marketing across search, social, and email channels drives traffic and sales.
- With sound technical development and promotion, Kiwi eCommerce sites can thrive online.
FAQs
Q: What are the most popular eCommerce platforms used in New Zealand?
A: The most used eCommerce platforms in New Zealand are Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, and custom proprietary systems. Shopify in particular powers a large portion of NZ online stores.
Q: What payment gateways should a New Zealand eCommerce site integrate?
A: Top payment gateway options include Paymark, Payment Express, Stripe, eWAY, DPS, and Instanet. Most New Zealand online stores should integrate Paymark or Payment Express for optimal local card acceptance.
Q: How much does it cost to build an eCommerce website in New Zealand?
A: An average eCommerce site build in New Zealand ranges from NZ$15,000 to NZ$60,000+ depending on size, customizations, and platform. Shopify stores start around $15k while complex Magento sites are over $60k.
Q: What are some best practices for on-site search on New Zealand eCommerce sites?
A: Relevant on-site search improves conversions. Best practices include predictive search, filters, personalized results, guided navigation, and highlighting top products.
Q: What shipping couriers do most NZ eCommerce retailers use?
A: NZ Post, CourierPost, Uber/UberEats, Aramex, DHL Express and Castle Parcels are popular delivery partners for NZ eCommerce orders. Retailers often integrate multiple couriers based on speed and location.