Carmen Hall: I buy online and businesses should cash in on that

The popularity of online shopping continues to grow. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION
I am not techno-savvy. I learn what I need to know to do my job, nothing more, nothing less. I'm also not afraid to pick the brains of my young colleagues when something bamboozles me.

When I was a contractor I was lucky because all I really needed was my laptop, cellphone and dictaphone. My other tools of the trade were a pen and notebook. Sometimes I carried a pencil to write things down if it rained.

I was only a one-man band so my requirements were basic. I didn't need to sell goods or ply my wordsmith skills because I already had secure work. But now more than ever, being up with the play digitally is critical for a business, experts say.

Westpac's latest Retail Report shows the traditional retail model was changing with digital technologies disrupting retail supply chains, transforming operational processes, and revolutionising how products were marketed and sold.

Economist Paul Clark says in a digital world all businesses should have an online presence, and retailers on the wrong side of the digital divide may get left behind.

According to NZ Post, online shopping in the Bay totalled $316 million in the year to June 2021 - up 11 per cent compared with the previous 12 months - with an average basket size of $104.

Zeald agency director Jarra Borman believes being digitally enabled online is the only way businesses are going to keep up and stay competitive in this fast-changing era.

I agree, and my shopping habits have changed considerably since Covid. I now buy all my groceries online and get them delivered.

I like that it saves me time and petrol and it's quick and easy. I'm also less likely to impulse buy chocolate, lollies and biscuits.

I have also bought clothing online, shoes and candle-making supplies. To try to keep it local, a lot of my purchases have been from Bay or New Zealand retailers.

For me, this won't replace face-to-face shopping and the experience of going in store, but I've got to admit, it's mighty handy in this Covid environment.