Consumer NZ reveals the four stores New Zealanders adore

New Zealanders have told Consumer NZ the four retailers that give them the best shopping experience.

The 2023 People’s Choice award winners are 100% Appliances, Stihl Shop, Mitre 10 and Samsung online store.

Gemma Rasmussen, head of research and advocacy, said winners of the People’s Choice award achieved a significantly higher satisfaction rating than other stores in Consumer’s annual retailer survey.

“If you’re deciding where to do your Black Friday or Christmas shopping, we think you’re most likely to have a great experience at these four stores,” Rasmussen said.

This is the ninth time 100% Appliances has won a People’s Choice award.

It was the clear winner in the small appliances category – with 91% of its customers saying they were very satisfied.

“The Warehouse was the lowest scorer in this category – just 49% who’d bought small appliances there were very satisfied.”

This year, Samsung took the top place in the mobile tech category from Apple Store – which had been the People’s Choice five times over the past 6 years.

“Samsung closed all its physical locations this year, so it’s great to hear it’s done a good job of keeping customers happy online.”

Upon winning the People’s Choice award in the hardware and gardening category, Stihl Shop told Consumer it was a goal it had set itself this year.

“This year Stihl Shop was rated particularly highly for its range of products, prices, point of sale service and availability of products. That tells us people are walking in there and getting great service and walking out with the product they want.”

Mitre 10 was also awarded People’s Choice in the hardware and gardening category.

“Mitre 10 customers told us the staff are helpful, friendly, have expert knowledge and don’t use pushy sales tactics,” Rasmussen said.

People are changing how they shop

While customer satisfaction remains important, Consumer NZ’s latest Sentiment Tracker reports that the cost-of-living crisis is also influencing how people shop.

“We’re seeing that price and the cost of shipping are becoming more important. Whereas loyalty programmes are having a lot less sway on where people shop,” Rasmussen said.

"We've seen an increasing preference for online shopping – suggesting that price and convenience trump all else right now.”