Total retail card spending rose 1.4 percent in November 2020, up 85 million NZ dollars (60 million U.S. dollars), compared with November 2019, Stats NZ said.
"Some sectors, like electronics, are doing much better than last year, but others are lagging behind because of the international travel restrictions introduced to slow the spread of COVID-19, along with a drop in petrol prices," retail statistics manager Sue Chapman said in a statement.
In actual terms, spending on long-lasting goods (durables) had the largest retail industry rise, up 8.5 percent from November 2019. This industry includes furniture, electrical, hardware, department stores, and sports goods, Chapman said.
"The rise in November spending on furniture, electrical, and hardware coincided with Black Friday sales at the end of month," she said.
The rise in durables was mainly driven by furniture, electrical, and hardware retailing, up 19 percent over the year to the highest November month since the series began, and close to levels seen in the peak sales month of December, statistics showed.
"Black Friday promotions were strong in November, resulting in large sales in electrical and hardware retailing," Chapman said.
"Kiwis are also continuing to spend on their homes, as well as on sporting and outdoor activity equipment leading into the summer holidays," she added.
Grocery and liquor (consumables) spending had the next largest increase, up 5.3 percent, according to Stats NZ.
The biggest falls in card spending came from fuel and accommodation. Spending on hotels, motels, and other accommodation was down 38 percent compared with November 2019, statistics showed.
"This followed the big drop in international visitor arrivals in recent months, to thousands a month rather than hundreds of thousands a month in 2019," Chapman said.
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