One-in-four Irish people shop online weekly, report reveals

A quarter of Irish people shop online at least once a week, according to a new report which shows many consumers are still keen to buy in-store.

The PwC Total Retail report, which includes responses from 1,000 online shoppers in Ireland and more than 34,000 worldwide, finds consumers here are more reluctant to shop online than their counterparts in many other countries.

Overall, 25 per cent of Irish shoppers said they bought goods via the internet each week, versus 46 per cent in Britain and 73 per cent in China.

The survey indicates that Irish retailers’ failure to offer a positive shopping experience online may be partially to blame for the discrepancy, with some major Irish retailers still lacking a full online shopping presence.

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Almost a quarter of consumers purchased most or all of their clothing and footwear online in the last year, according to the report. However, a similar percentage had never visited a grocery retail website.

While in-store shopping remains popular in Ireland, with 40 per cent of respondents saying they engage in it at least once a week, the study reveals a considerable number of shoppers are buying goods from the ecommerce giant Amazon.

Amazon

Some 71 per cent of Irish consumers said they shopped with Amazon, with a quarter adding this meant they shopped less at offline retail stores, and 14 per cent saying they didn’t visit so many other shopping websites as a result of purchasing from the ecommerce giant.

In addition, a third of Irish shoppers say they start their search for products across different categories with Amazon.

According to the report, 48 per cent of Irish consumers have shopped online via their mobile at least a few times, with a third expecting it to become their primary means of purchasing goods in the future.

"The survey confirms that there is plenty of opportunity for growth in the Irish retail sector, including to reap greater revenues from digital. While physical presence on the high street is still extremely relevant, it is important that Irish retailers make the best possible use of all purchasing channels," said John Dillon, head of PwC Ireland's retail, consumer and food industries group.