Shoppers spent $4.5b using electronic cards last month.

That's an increase of almost $200m compared to last April.

Statistics New Zealand says card spending rose in all retail industries except for fuel.

The 4% increase is in line with general retail trends, up overall over the last decade.

A breakdown of spending in Dunedin isn't available, but local businesses are reporting good sales anecdotally.

Tourism has boosted local retail over the past few months, with a strong cruise ship season bringing in millions.