NZ Post prepares for huge increase in volumes following Black Friday online sales

Fueled by Kiwis’ love of online shopping, New Zealand Post is preparing for what is expected to be one of the busiest weeks of the year, following Black Friday online sales.

NZ Post GM Business Marketing Chris Wong says while the Black Friday sales first began in the United States, many New Zealand companies have now jumped on board.

“Black Friday (23/11) is now one of the biggest single shopping days of the year, up there with China’s Singles day (11/11) and Cyber Monday (26/11).

“Our experience shows us that a few days after these sales we start to see huge volumes of parcels coming through our network. Between 2014 and 2017 the annual parcel volume sent through NZ Post increased by 21%. Across the same period though, the average parcel volume sent just in November rocketed up by almost 50% thanks to Singles Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.”

And while Black Friday was originally a single day of traditional bricks and mortar shop sales, it now spreads out over a week and includes online sales, all around the world and in New Zealand.

“Our eCommerce report released earlier this year New Zealanders’ online shopping spend increased by 13%*, driven by a 23% increase with offshore online shops. Spend with domestic retailers increased 9%, 10 times the rate of local ‘bricks and mortar’ retail.

“This is our busiest and most exciting time of year. We love delivering over the Holiday shopping season for New Zealanders, and getting parcels and presents into people’s hands as quickly and safely as we can.”