Survey: The Most Searched Utility In New Zealand This Pandemic

What do you think is the most searched utility in New Zealand since the start of the pandemic?

Glimp's consumer report survey showed that 37% of respondents are actively looking for better and more reasonably-priced broadband plans. 

This is closely followed by Power at 33%, mobile plan at 11%, car insurance at 10%, and banking and financial services at 8%. This is measured based on the number of online searches with over 2,000 respondents.

These days, finding the right broadband plan is made easier thanks to comparison websites that offer free comparison for household utilities, and even bank products. In this blog, we dig deep into the different deciding factors of New Zealanders for choosing their providers.

Why are Kiwis always searching for broadband?

Broadband is one of the most important utilities for households and businesses. It’s the lifeline of almost every Kiwi, especially when the pandemic struck. That’s why providers have been keeping up to offer better and more upgraded services. However, this doesn’t answer why Kiwis are always searching for another service.

Although most people are aware of their options, some people still find it difficult to understand the difference between fixed-line broadband and wireless or mobile internet. This often leads to customers not getting the broadband plan that matches their needs.

To resolve this, it’s important to clear these misunderstandings about internet tech in New Zealand. Chorus CEO JB Rousselot backed this with his statement, “That’s why transparency and having information in a form consumers can easily understand is so important.”

What do Kiwis consider when purchasing a broadband plan?

51% of the respondents value price over anything. It’s only understandable as plans are often paid off monthly. If they commit to a higher price than what they can really afford, they may be losing money. 

Despite this, Rousselot encourages Kiwis to look beyond the price. “On speed, performance, capacity and reliability, fibre really is the superior technology. Understandably, price is a big factor in peoples’ choices so we encourage them to shop around the dozens of retailers offering Chorus’ open access fibre technology; there are plenty of good deals,” he said. 

After price, quality customer service comprises 33%, speed at 23.44%, discount and freebies at 6.80%, and convenience at 6.08%. Although price is the deal-maker for most Kiwis, quality and great customer service is still the main deciding factor for customer loyalty.

But, how do New Zealanders find the right plan?

Out of 2,000 respondents, 880 or 44% are very careful when choosing the perfect plan. They thoroughly search product reviews and compare prices of major competitors before settling for any utility — be it broadband, power, insurance, or credit card. Before signing up, they take into account every single piece of information on the internet.

This is no big surprise as 36% of the respondents want a plan that can last them for a long time. Bargain hunters, impulsive buyers, and blindly loyal customers only account for 380 people or a meagre 19%. Only 12% are likely to switch upfront.

Do Kiwis use comparison websites?

They do! 61% of the respondents actually use comparison websites like glimp. Before subscribing to a broadband and electricity plan, they compare the best deals and providers in their location and sort them in terms of speed, price, and other preferences.

Although this is a majority of the population, it’s important to reach out to 39% of the customers. That’s why glimp has been upgrading its services to get Kiwis to compare more. Aside from broadband, electricity, financial services, and insurance, you can also compare a wide range of tech and investment apps like cryptocurrency, loans, mortgages, and share investment apps.

Denis Tyurkov, co-founder of glimp, shares, “For us, it’s really important to get in front of those people and show them that we are here to make their life easier.”

Michael Speight, another co-founder of glimp, agrees, “We still have a big job on our hands in getting the word out to the 40% of those who don’t know.”

Use glimp’s comparison tool to compare all your utilities and get the perfect plan for your needs.