Kiwi marketplace launches free international shipping

Dean Blake

7th Nov 2019

Online marketplace TheMarket has launched a subscription model, which will allow customers access to exclusive offers, free shipping on local and international orders over $45, and access to a number of trials of other services.

TheMarket Club is priced at $59 a year, or $5.99 a month, and will offer users a three-month trial of Neon, a one-month trial of Sky Sports, and a “kick start” on investment platform Hatch.

TheMarket will offer a free 30-day trial of the service, but will allow early adopters who join before December 1 an extended 60-day free trial. 

“We are thrilled to be able to provide this subscription service which is a further evolution of TheMarket’s customer proposition and is just in time for Christmas,” TheMarket chief executive Justus Wilde said. 

“We are anticipating significant growth this side of Christmas, particularly as we hit some key shopping events such as Black Friday where customers will be able to shop all the deals that matter with free shipping, then the preparations for Christmas Day itself.

“TheMarket Club offering free shipping across the site will be a game changer for our customers over the coming weeks.”

Wilde confirmed that since the launch, customer engagement has exceeded forecasts with database growth, daily traffic and repeat purchases above plan.

TheMarket launched in August, seeking to offer Kiwi’s a homegrown marketplace to rival the likes of Asos and Amazon. Wilde told Inside Retail that New Zealand is a patriotic country, and Kiwi’s tend to use local platforms where possible, giving them a leg up in the market. 

“Being a local player is quite an advantage here, in terms of trust from the community, and local infrastructure to support that will give us an edge over some of the international players,” Wilde said. 

“There have been some international players that have tried to enter the market and have not succeeded, and it’s a very small market so the level of investment some of the international players to enter a market like New Zealand is somewhat irrelevant.”

Since launch, TheMarket has grown to offer over 200 stores, and is aiming to increase this number to 400 in the coming months. 

This story first appeared on sister site, Inside Retail New Zealand.