Finance & Economics

Nearly half of Irish consumers prefer online shopping with local SMEs

Irish customers want to support local businesses amid these uncertain times

Ireland SMEs

Nearly half of Irish consumers prefer online shopping with local SMEs. Source: pexels.com

According to Ecommerce News, 1 in 2 consumers in Ireland say they do the majority of their online shopping with SMEs from Ireland. However, a slightly bigger share of people, 51%, place most of their online orders at international retailers.

This is shown by 2021 .IE Tipping Point report. In its report that was published in the summer, it found that in 2020, 53% of Irish consumers did most of their e-commerce shopping with SMEs since the start of the pandemic. The latest report thus shows that this figure has now swung back to international retailers.

At the same time, nearly 4 out of 5 Irish SMEs say they are as busy or even busier than before the pandemic, because of their investment in online services. This is up from 46% in 2020. Now 55% (up from 21%) claim to have spent money on improving their digital platforms. Most of these companies are either launching or improving their website.

A growing number of Irish SMEs recognize that having an online presence is absolutely crucial to their business’s survival. Compared to last year, more businesses anticipate that consumers will spend online as well as offline and that fewer will do most of their shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. This knowledge of consumer trends is positive news for these businesses and for the Irish economy overall
David Curtin, CEO of .IE 

Among consumers who prefer offline shopping, 61% say it’s because it is more convenient. Meanwhile, 39% of them say it’s because it gives them a chance for social interaction and to go outside.

We’ve reported that Dutch e-commerce nearly reached €30 billion in 2020.

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