Kiwi shoppers play it cool, survey finds

Photo / NZME.

We’re more wary than the Aussies in giving details to stores ... unless there’s a discount.

Kiwis are careful when handing over personal information to retailers, but are more trusting than Aussies in signing up for a discount.

A survey of 1000 Australian and 500 New Zealand shoppers shows similar expectations of consumers in both countries, except when on personal details.

More Kiwis than Aussies will reveal household structure details, ages of their children and hobbies and interests when joining mailing and loyalty programmes.

But only 6 per cent of New Zealanders compared to 11 per cent of Australians will tell retailers their income and 32 per cent compared to 36 per cent of Aussies will give their date of birth.

The information was uncovered in research conducted by AMP Capital Shopping Centres in Australia, which oversees malls in both countries, including Botany Town Centre and Manukau Supa Centre in Auckland, The Palms in Christchurch and Mt Maunganui's Bayfair Shopping Centre.

It's the ninth time the Recommended Retail Practice Report has been undertaken annually, but the first time Kiwis have been included in the survey, which focuses on shopping habits.

The research found shoppers are shaping the retail landscape now more than ever, and are responsible for what's new and trending, according to AMP Capital Shopping Centres' head of operational marketing, Kylie McIntyre.

"They want retailers to give them something special. If they make the effort to get up and go out to a shopping centre and go into a store, they want to feel rewarded by that store and recognised."

Shoppers who seek meaningful connections with brands and retailers, and the opportunity to collaborate on products, services and experiences, prompted the theme of this year's research, "the consulting consumer" - looking into what shoppers want from their retail experience.

The research, a shopping blueprint for retailers conducted through an online survey of random people, found Kiwi and Aussie shoppers wanted to be heard.

In an era when almost everything is customisable, consumers wanted to mould their shopping experiences.

More than 80 per cent of those surveyed said they were more likely to shop at a store that involved them in developing new experiences, products or services.

Ms McIntyre said the lure of such experiences meant some online stores were turning to bricks and mortar stores to compete with that success.

"Customers really want to touch and interact with products. It's that surprise and delight factor.

"That sensory store experience is one of the ways that customers want to interact with what's happening in the store and what retailers are doing for them in terms of events and little extra treats."

Most of the rest of the differences between Kiwi and Aussie shoppers were small, which Ms McIntyre said had surprised her.

"I guess what it does show is that everybody really does want the same out of their shopping experience.