Irish adults shop online 44 times a year with over one in three (35%) claiming to shop online on at least a weekly basis, new data shows.
Consumers shopping for groceries, hardware and DIY products as well as newspapers and magazines are less likely to do so online once the restrictions are eased, according to new national survey conducted by Banking & Payment Federation Ireland (BPFI).
Looking at how consumers who have shopped online expect their shopping habits to change after the current COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, some 31% are more likely to continue to shop online for clothing/sports goods and 26% are more likely to shop online for toys/games or films/music/books after the restrictions are lifted.
By contrast, more than one in five of those who have shopped online for groceries, hardware/DIY or newspapers/magazines are less likely to shop online for these products.
"Online shopping has seen rapid growth in recent years, with almost €5.8 billion in e-commerce sales on credit and debit cards in Q1 2020 alone according to the Central Bank of Ireland," said Brian Hayes, chief executive, BPFI.
"The scale of this is further demonstrated when you consider that e-commerce accounted for 41.8% of card spend in that quarter, up from 31.3% only five years earlier," he said.
Behaviour Across Age Groups
Looking at behaviours across the various age groups, the survey highlights that Millennials (25-37 year olds) and Gen X (38-53 year olds) are much more likely to continue to shop online for clothes and electronic goods post restrictions.
By contrast, those over 54 years of age (Baby Boomers) are less likely to shop online in most categories with the exception of clothing/sports goods and films/books/music, the research showed.
"The traditional ways of purchasing are changing rapidly, and our findings today emphasize that the shift to online shopping will be further fuelled by the current pandemic which will have a lasting impact in terms of reshaping consumers shopping habits and preferences," he added.
© 2020 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
