Majority of NZ Exporters Embracing E-commerce

By Greg McNevin

October 2, 2007: According to a new survey from the logistics company DHL, 60 percent of New Zealand exporters are now using the internet to organise the pick up, delivery and shipping of goods.

The company surveyed 250 importers and exporters and found that out of the 60 percent using the internet for their day to day operations, 57 percent cited efficiency improvements were behind their decision to use e-commerce, while 25 percent said they preferred the ease of use it offered.

"It's encouraging to see exporters readily adopting online tools for more efficient business practice, but it would be great to see that figure even higher," said Derek Anderson, DHL Express General Manager in a statement, adding that the results mirrored DHL's own experiences.

Out of the remaining 40 percent not using the internet, five percent claim the process was too confusing while four percent were hesitant about jumping in due to worries about security.

The majority of those not using the internet (68 percent) claimed that the preference to speak to someone in person was the deciding factor in keeping operations off the net.

Outside of day to day operations, 81 percent of the exporters surveyed had a website online for sales and marketing.

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