Compare online retailers in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Amazon, Mighty Ape, Trade Me, Farmers, The Market, The Warehouse, Kmart and AliExpress were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Ease of Site Navigation, Range of Brands, Range of Products, Speed of Delivery and Value for Money.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Amazon is delivering on customer satisfaction, rating highly with Kiwi consumers and winning Canstar Blue’s 2023 Award for Most Satisfied Customers | Online Retailers.
Our review compares online retailers on customer satisfaction, so you can discover what other Kiwis think about our compared online retailers before you go ahead and make a purchase. Think of it like asking hundreds of your closest mates which online retailer they think is best!
Canstar Blue surveyed 1533 Kiwis who had made a purchase from an online store (excluding online grocery stores) in the past 12 months and asked for their feedback on the online retailer they used.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their online retailers from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall Satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall Satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
AmazonThe winner of Canstar Blue’s 2023 Most Satisfied Customers | Online Retailers, Amazon earns the best set of ratings from its customers. It’s the only retailer to earn a top 5-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction, and across other categories it earns further 5-Star ratings for its range of products and brands. For Speed of Delivery and Value for Money it scores admirable 4-Star ratings.
The global giant doesn’t have an NZ-based website, but Kiwi consumers can access Amazon’s global online shopping network through its Australian website.
While not all products from Amazon’s global stores are available for delivery to New Zealand, most products offered through its Australian site can be shipped to NZ.
Amazon’s Australian site offers free delivery to NZ on orders over AU$49, and has extra options for fast shipping. The website automatically adjusts prices to take GST and import levies into consideration.
Mighty ApeIn previous years, Mighty Ape has dominated our award, winning on three previous occasions. And this year it again scores highly, earning a 4-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction and two 5-Star ratings. Notably, it’s the only online retailer to score a top rating for Speed of Delivery.
Mighty Ape sells a huge range of products, from food and clothing to furniture, appliances and tech. While most Mighty Ape orders are dispatched overnight, it also offers super-speedy same-day delivery options for those living in certain Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch suburbs.
Trade MeWhile Trade Me doesn’t earn any top 5-Star ratings, it puts in a strong performance across all categories, earning 4-Star ratings from its customers in every category.
Trade Me began life in 1999 as a place for people to buy and sell secondhand goods. Since then it’s grown into a huge marketplace for new and used products, and has expanded into selling property, cars and advertising jobs and services.
FarmersFarmer’s ratings are split between 4- and 3-Star ratings. While it earns 4 Stars for Overall Satisfaction and its range of products and brands, it’s let down by lower 3-Star ratings for Speed of Delivery, Value for Money and Ease of Site Navigation.
Farmers has over 50 department stores and is a familiar destination for Kiwi shoppers. Online, it offers all the same great deals and products as its physical stores. Standard delivery on small items takes up to 10 days, or you can opt to click and collect at your local Farmers store.
The MarketThe Market scores an excellent 5-Star rating for the range of products that it sells. In all other categories except one, it earns 4-Star ratings from its customers. Its one 3-Star rating is for Value for Money.
The Market is relatively new to the online retail scene, but it has wasted no time in cementing itself as an integral part of NZ’s online shopping space. Launched in August 2019, The Market is part of The Warehouse Group of companies and provides a platform for retailers and brands to sell their goods, all from one convenient site.
The WarehouseThe iconic stack-’em-high, sell-’em-low big-barn retailer earns two 3-Star ratings for its online presence: for its range of products and brands. In all other categories it earns 4-Stars from its customers, including for Value for Money and Overall Satisfaction.
The Warehouse’s big red stores are an iconic part of the NZ retail environment. And online it delivers the same focus on low prices. The Warehouse’s website offers same-day click and collect on purchases made early enough, or for a low fee your order can be delivered to your home, within two to four working days.
KmartKmart is renowned for its low prices, and its online store reflects this by earning a 5-Star rating from consumers. While it has a 4-Star Overall Satisfaction rating, Kmart performs less well when judged on Speed of Delivery, Ease of Site Navigation and Range of Brands – in each of these categories it achieves a 3-Star rating.
Kmart delivers a no-frills, cut-price online shopping experience, featuring the same range of products that is available in its physical stores. Opt for click and collect, or if your order is over $65 enjoy free delivery to urban areas within five to seven working days.
AliExpressMost items for sale on AliExpress come from overseas and, as a consequence, the site earns a very low 2-Star rating for Speed of Delivery. However, it earns a top rating for the huge variety of different products it offers online. For Overall Satisfaction it score 3-Stars, an average score it also earns for Ease of Site Navigation and Range of Brands.
AliExpress is well known for offering unbeatable prices on a huge range of products. But because most of its vendors are based overseas in Asia, long delivery times are the norm.
Not all online retailers in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are more online retailers to check out before heading online to shop.
1-day.co.nz1-day is a daily deals site owned by The Warehouse Group of companies that has become part of The Market website.
EzibuyEzibuy is a trusted name in fashion and homewares. Its website offers click and collect (within five working days) for many of its items. Or you can opt for free delivery on orders over $200 that can take anywhere between five and 12 working days to be delivered, depending on the item(s) ordered.
Nzsale.co.nzNZ Sale is part of an Australian company that runs ecommerce sites here and in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. It sells a range of fashion, homeware, lifestyle and beauty products. Items purchased on the site can come from Australia or other international suppliers. As a consequence, delivery times and postage rates vary.
Onceit.co.nzOnceit is one of New Zealand’s biggest online fashion sites and features over 500 local and international brands. Shipping rates and times are calculated at checkout and depend on the item, its country of origin and the delivery address.
Online shopping is a quick and easy way to get your retail fix. But the thrill of bagging a bargain can wear off quickly if you’re still waiting for your package to be delivered days later.
This is reflected in what the consumers in our survey reveal as their biggest concern when online shopping.
Speed of delivery is cited by close to a third of respondents in our survey as the biggest driver of their satisfaction. And, of course, price is also a factor – cited by just under a quarter of our consumers.
Overall, here is how the Kiwi online shoppers in our research rate the different factor affecting their online retail experiences:
This report was written by Canstar’s Editor, Bruce Pitchers. Bruce has three decades’ experience as a journalist working for major media companies in the UK and Australasia, including ACP, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. Prior to Canstar, he worked as a freelancer, including for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority, and for real estate companies on both sides of the Tasman.
Have used an overseas website for online shopping: 55%
Only shop from large, trusted online retailers: 37%
Have maintained a preference for online shopping since the end of Covid restrictions: 35%
Worry about credit card security when shopping online: 33%
Have used Buy Now Pay Later to pay for online purchases: 32%
Have purchased something online that looked nothing like the picture: 27%
Have purchased something online that was never delivered: 24%
Prefer buying online, rather than in-store: 23%
Browse in-store but purchase online: 20%
Avoid shops that have a poor online presence: 17%
Have had parcels stolen from letterbox: 11%
Usually get online purchases delivered to work: 9%
|
Reasons for shopping online |
% |
|
It’s more convenient |
72% |
| It’s easier to find what I’m looking for | 57% |
|
Better range |
41% |
| Cheaper | 36% |
|
Reasons for using overseas websites |
% |
|
They have a better range |
70% |
|
They are cheaper |
58% |
|
More convenient |
20% |
|
Frequency of shopping |
% |
| Only occasionally shop online |
34% |
|
Do half of shopping online |
34% |
|
Almost all shopping online |
20% |
|
Very rarely shop online |
11% |
|
Items purchased online |
% |
|
Clothes |
68% |
|
Health & Beauty |
47% |
|
Homewares |
42% |
|
Shoes |
38% |
|
Groceries |
29% |
|
Books |
25% |
|
Hardware |
19% |
Canstar Blue surveyed 2558 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from respondents who had bought something from an online store in the past 12 months (excluding groceries). In this case, 1533 New Zealanders. Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criterion.
The past winners from Canstar Blue’s Online Store ratings:
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