Table of Contents
Overview
-
- What you need to know
- Issues covered in this Report
Executive Summary
-
- The market
- Forecast
-
- Figure 1: Indexed forecast value of online and mobile retail sales, NI and RoI, 2012-22
- Market factors
- UK Europe’s leading e-commerce market
- Mobile purchasing appeals to consumers
- RoI consumers spending more online
- High device ownership positive for online shopping
- Companies, brands and innovations
- The consumer
- Consumers using multiple devices to shop online at home
-
- Figure 2: Usage of devices to shop online in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Fashion and travel important online shopping categories
-
- Figure 3: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, smartphone and tablet, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Home delivery the preferred delivery method for Irish consumers
-
- Figure 4: Types of delivery used by consumers when shopping online in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Free postage important but consumers also willing to pay for speedy delivery
-
- Figure 5: Agreement with statements relating to online and mobile retailing, NI and RoI, January 2017
- What we think
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- Online sales in Ireland to continue growing in 2017
- The UK has the highest level of online shoppers in the EU
- RoI consumers increase the amount they spend online
- Digital single market to boost online shopping but Brexit presents challenges to Irish retailers
Market Size and Forecast
-
- Strong growth in online sales to continue in 2017
-
- Figure 6: Estimated online and mobile retail expenditure, IoI, NI and RoI, 2012-22
-
- Figure 7: Proportion of total retail sales made online, UK (including NI), 2011-16
- Online retail sales will continue growing through to 2022
-
- Figure 8: Indexed forecast value of online and mobile retail sales, NI and RoI, 2012-22
Market Drivers
-
- UK remains top e-commerce market in Europe
-
- Figure 9: Online purchases in selected European Union markets, 2016
- Online spending increases in RoI
-
- Figure 10: Average monthly spend online per person, RoI, 2014 and 2016
- Mobile devices are key purchasing channel
-
- Figure 11: Share of total monthly purchases online via mobile devices (smartphone and tablet), by country, 2016
- Drone deliveries being trialled
-
- Figure 12: Agreement with the statement ‘I am interested in having packages delivered by drone (eg Amazon Prime Air)’, NI and RoI, 2016 and 2017
- High device ownership positive for online shopping in Ireland
-
- Figure 13: Ownership of or access to mobile technology devices, NI and RoI, February 2016 and January 2017
- Brexit has potential to impact UK/NI retailers’ participation in digital single market
- Brexit upset could see more cross-border online shopping
-
- Figure 14: If consumers intend to shop for various goods/services in NI/UK during the next six months to take advantage of the shift in the £/€ exchange rate, RoI, August 2016
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
-
- Amazon launches Dash Button in the UK
- ‘eBay Authenticate’ to help reduce risk of buying online
- Home Retail acquisition positions Sainsbury’s to better meet ‘on-demand’ culture
- Next uses customer data to personalise website
Competitive Strategies
-
- Pure-play retailers
- Amazon
- Amazon Go
- ASOS
- eBay
- Littlewoods Ireland
- Multichannel retailers
- Arnotts
- Harvey Norman
- Next
- Sainsbury’s
- Tesco
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Multiple devices used to shop online at home
- Fashion and travel services the main items Irish consumers are buying online
- Home deliveries the main delivery method but in-store click-and-collect also popular
- Free postage important but consumers willing to pay to have goods delivered next day
Devices Used to Shop Online
-
- Home the preferred location for online shopping
-
- Figure 15: Usage of devices to shop online in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Desktop and laptop computers popular among older consumers when shopping online
-
- Figure 16: Usage of desktop/laptop computers to shop online while at home, by age, NI and RoI, January 2017
- NI women more likely to use mobile devices to shop online
-
- Figure 17: Use of smartphones and tablets to shop online in the last 12 months, by gender, NI, January 2017
-
- Figure 18: Use of smartphones and tablets to shop online in the last 12 months, by gender, RoI, January 2017
Items Purchased Online
-
- Fashion and travel the most important online categories
-
- Figure 19: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, smartphone and tablet in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, January 2017
- High-earning consumers using laptops and desktops to buy travel services
-
- Figure 20: Consumers who have purchased travel services (eg flights, holiday packages, hotels) using a laptop or desktop computer in the last 12 months, by gross annual household income, NI, January 2017
- Figure 21: Consumers who have purchased travel services (eg flights, holiday packages, hotels) using a laptop or desktop computer in the last 12 months, by gross annual household income, RoI, January 2017
- Women and Millennials buying clothes via smartphones
-
- Figure 22: Consumers who have purchased clothing, footwear and accessories using a smartphone in the last 12 months, by gender and age, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Married consumers buying entertainment items via laptops and desktops
-
- Figure 23: Consumers who have bought entertainment (eg tickets for cinema, concerts, sporting events) items via a laptop/desktop and smartphone in the last 12 months, by marital status, NI, January 2017
-
- Figure 24: Consumers who have bought entertainment (eg tickets for cinema, concerts, sporting events) items via a laptop/desktop and smartphone in the last 12 months, by marital status, RoI, January 2017
- Streaming popular among consumers from rural areas
-
- Figure 25: Consumers who have streamed or downloaded books/music/movies/games downloads (including rentals) via a smartphone in the last 12 months, by location, NI, January 2017
- Figure 26: Consumers who have streamed or downloaded books/music/movies/games downloads (including rentals) via a smartphone in the last 12 months, by location, RoI, January 2017
Delivery Methods Used
-
- Irish consumers prefer to get goods delivered to home
-
- Figure 27: Types of delivery used by consumers when shopping online in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Home deliveries appeal to older consumers
-
- Figure 28: Consumers who have had goods purchased online delivered to home, by age, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Affluent consumers using in-store click-and-collect
-
- Figure 29: Consumers who have collected goods purchased online in-store from the retailer that they bought from, by social class, NI and RoI, January 2017
Attitudes towards Online and Mobile Retailing
-
- Consumers prepared to wait longer in return for free postage
-
- Figure 30: Agreement with statements relating to online and mobile retailing, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Mature consumers focus on cost; Millennials on expediency
-
- Figure 31: Agreement with statements relating to online and mobile retailing, by age, NI, January 2017
- Figure 32: Agreement with statements relating to online and mobile retailing, by age, RoI, January 2017
- Retailers’ data breaches a concern for over-45s
-
- Figure 33: Agreement with the statement ‘I would be less inclined to shop with a company that has experienced a data breach’, by age, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Irish consumers looking for more locally based online retailers
-
- Figure 34: Agreement with the statement 'I would shop online more if there were more NI/RoI-based online retailers', by social class, NI and RoI, January 2017
- Older consumers find it easier to buy online via websites
-
- Figure 35: Agreement with the statement ‘I find it easier to shop via a standard website compared to a dedicated app’, by gender and age, NI and RoI, January 2017
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
-
- Data sources
- Generational cohort definitions
- Abbreviations
Back to top