The trend in electronic card spending in New Zealand rose slightly for the sixth consecutive month in July, with the unadjusted value of spending showing its usual rise from June, figures released by Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ) show. The seasonally adjusted total value of electronic card transactions rose 1.2% from June, while unadjusted electronic card spending was up 2% from July 2008. "The non-retail industries (which include services such as travel and health, and wholesaling) and consumables industries (which include food, liquor, and chemist retailing) were the main contributors to the July increase," Stats NZ said. "The durables industries (which include furniture, hardware and appliance retailing) and the automotive fuel retailing industry had small falls in July," it said. The rising trend in electronic card spending for the core retail sector has slowed slightly over the last three months, but spending is still seen to be rising slightly. Seasonally adjusted figures show the amount spent in core retail rose 1.1% from June, while actual figures show spending was up 4% from a year ago. The proportion of transactions that were made with credit cards rose again slightly over the month, from 43.4% in June to 43.7% in July. The proportion of transactions made with credit cards had fallen from 46.4% in February to a low of 43.1% in May. The average card transaction value also rose to NZ$52 from the low of NZ$51 in both June and May.
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