Consumer spending was up 8 per cent in the first 11 months of this year when compared to 2022, according to AIB transaction data.
Data from more than 800 million AIB card transactions between January and November shows that people from Wicklow had the highest average daily spend (€26.13), while those in Donegal had the lowest (€20.18).
Dubliners spend the most online daily (€14.37) while people from Kilkenny spend the most in-store (€13.21).
January was the busiest month of the year for spending on airline tickets, peaking on January 11th when spending was 57 per cent above average.
Business bloomed for florists in spring, with the top day for spending being February 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day (615 per cent above average), followed by March 18th, the eve of Mother’s Day (up 580 per cent).
March also had the busiest spending day for pubs, as St Patrick’s Day had spending 218 per cent above average. Bank holidays were a big driver for pub spending, as the next busiest days for publicans were Sunday, October 29th, and Sunday, August 6th — both of them holiday weekends.
The data shows that 67 per cent of pub spending this year was by men.
May was the busiest month of the year for hair salons, barbers and beauticians, with spending 10 per cent above average likely driven by Communion and Confirmation spending.
Some 82 per cent of the spend this year on hair salons, barbers and beauticians was by women.
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The highest spending day for ticket sales was July 25th, when Coldplay tickets went on presale (1,417 per cent above average), followed by November 6th, when Bruce Springsteen tickets went on sale (876 per cent above average) and July 20th, when Taylor Swift tickets went on sale (564 per cent above average).
August was the busiest month for restaurants, while Black Friday (November 24th) was the top spending day of the year.
New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday were the quietest for spending, with Christmas Day expected to be even quieter.
The top five spending destinations abroad this year were the UK (25 per cent), Spain (20 per cent), France (8 per cent), the US (7 per cent) and Italy (6 per cent).
AIB’s head of SME banking, John Brennan said 2023 has been marked by “strong performances for many sectors”, with December set to be busy for retail and hospitality, while in January people will be booking holidays and planning their spending for the year. “These data insights will help those sectors to plan for 2024 and get the new year off to a great start,” he said.
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