There are conflicting accounts on the success of New Zealand online retailers' first Click Monday sales as organisers claimed up to 10 times hike in online sales, while a marketing expert expressed disappointment with the range of items and price tags.

The New Zealand Herald reported that more than 80 online retailers participated in Click Monday, which started at 7 pm on Nov 26 and ran for 24 hours. Among the participating retailers were Briscoes, Rebel Sport, Hallenstein Brothers, Glassons, Whitcoulls, Icebreaker and Smith & Caughey.

A central Web site, clickmonday.co.nz, was created and listed all of the retail brands that participated in the online sale that attempted to mimic the Black Friday sale in the U.S. right after the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Among the retailers that reported a 10-fold hike in online sales was Toyco, a toy retailer, disclosed e-commerce consultant Cate Bryant. She said by 11 pm on Monday, the Web site logged 62,000 visitors, while the items on sale were viewed 225,000 times by online shoppers.

However, Ms Bryant admitted that the large volume of clicks slowed down some of the retail sites that resulted in dampened sales, but the portal didn't crash.

She added the 24-hour pre-Christmas promotion, which actually went beyond because some retailers extended until 12 midnight of Tuesday, was on track to general sales between $1.5 million and $2 million by 7 pm of Tuesday.

However, Ekant Veer, a marketing expert and an associate professor at Canterbury University, said he was disappointed by the small range and not too impressive price cuts on the items listed in Click Monday's Web site.

He admitted the items on sale were enticing, but added their prices are not rock bottom, unlike their counterpart pre-Christmas sale in the U.S. He added the products were not the trendiest.

Mr Veer also pointed out that there were many old lines and out-of-date items. He added, "Click Monday is more akin to excitement and mob mentality associated with purchasing behaviour, rather than rational savings behaviour."

Mr Bryant belied Mr Veer's statement that items on sale included old lines and outdated products, stressing the inclusion of the new Apple iPad Air clearly contradicts the academician's statement.

"Consumers voted with their wallets, so the price points must have been competitive enough for them to purchase. It's not a bad start," Ms Bryant countered.

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