Internet buying starts taking off

By Deborah Hill

Friday 17th March 2000

Proof the dot.com economy has truly arrived in this country lies in new figures showing local consumers are not only logging on to the internet in greater numbers but actually spending money.

The latest National Business Review-Compaq survey found 22% of people with internet access had made a purchase over the internet using a credit card.

The poll showed 11% of all people had made an internet purchase, up from 8% in the previous poll last May.

The figures were more dramatic when broken down by earning power: 25% of people earning $50,000-$70,000 and 29% of people earning over $70,000 had made a purchase.

The data provides vindication for businesses hoping to cash in on the internet revolution and may silence critics who said no one was spending money on the internet.

A survey by Boston Consulting Group, also out this week, estimated the local online retail spend at $60 million, with each person spending an average of $US7.90, or $NZ16, online. The figures were averaged across the total population, not just web surfers.

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