Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Forecast
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- Figure 1: Indexed forecast value of online and mobile retail sales, NI and RoI, 2011-21
- Market factors
- UK has the highest level of online shopping in EU; scope for growth in RoI
- Digital single market to make it easier to buy goods online
- High device ownership can boost online shopping in Ireland
- Showrooming an opportunity for multi-channel retailers
- Internet connectivity continues to improve
- Companies, brands and innovation
- The consumer
- Consumers shopping online at home
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- Figure 2: Usage of devices to shop online in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Fashion items popular online purchases in Ireland
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- Figure 3: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, smartphone and tablet, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Irish consumers prefer having goods delivered to home
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- Figure 4: Consumers who have used click-and-collect services from the retailer they purchased from, by gender and age, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Lower delivery costs more important than speed of delivery for Irish consumers
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- Figure 5: Agreement with statements relating to online and mobile retailing, NI and RoI, February 2016
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Which devices are Irish consumers using to shop online and what are they buying?
- The facts
- The implications
- Which types of delivery methods are Irish consumers using to receive goods?
- The facts
- The implications
- What would encourage Irish consumers to shop online more often?
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Ireland to see strong growth in online sales during 2016
- UK has the highest level online shopping in EU, scope for growth in RoI
- Digital single market can boost online shopping
- Irish consumers have access to multiple devices
Market Size and Forecast
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- Online and mobile retail sales continue to grow in 2015
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- Figure 6: Estimated online and mobile retail expenditure, IoI, NI and RoI, 2011-21
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- Figure 7: Proportion of total retail sales made online, UK (including NI), 2011-15
- Strong growth will see online retail sales in Ireland reach €15.4 billion by 2021
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- Figure 8: Indexed forecast value of online and mobile retail sales, NI and RoI, 2011-21
Market Drivers
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- UK Europe’s top market for e-commerce
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- Figure 9: Online purchases in selected European Union markets, 2015
- EU to create a digital single market to grow online sales
- Ownership of internet-enabled devices high in Ireland
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- Figure 10: Ownership of or access to mobile technology devices, NI and RoI, March 2015-February 2016
- Internet penetration high in Ireland
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- Figure 11: Household broadband penetration (fixed and mobile), RoI, 2010-15
- Figure 12: Internet take-up, NI, 2010-15
- Showrooming remains popular
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- Figure 13: Percentage of consumers that have engaged in ‘showrooming’, by region, UK (including NI), 2015
- RoI consumers benefiting from improving economy
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- Figure 14: Financial health of Irish consumers, RoI, March 2015-February 2016
- Mixed picture for NI consumers personal finances
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- Figure 15: Financial health of Irish consumers, NI, March 2015-February 2016
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- Figure 16: Average Household Income Tracker, £ per week, UK, October-December 2015
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Amazon launches Pay Monthly
- Online retailers get personal
- Littlewoods catalogue goes online
- ASOS rewards loyalty and customer engagement
- Sainsbury’s takes an omni-channel approach
Competitive Strategies – Key Players
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- Pure-play retailers
- Amazon
- Amazon introduces Pay Monthly to the UK
- Amazon sells own-brand clothing online
- ASOS
- ASOS launches online loyalty scheme
- eBay
- Assisted selling service to make selling goods on eBay hassle-free
- New mobile app to simplify mobile retailing
- Click and don’t collect
- Littlewoods
- Littlewoods introduces free returns
- Littlewoods catalogue goes mobile
- Multi-channel retailers
- Arnotts
- Mega Event delivers strong online sales for Arnotts
- Harvey Norman
- Next
- Next faces stiff competition online
- Sainsbury’s
- Sainsbury’s bid to acquire Home Retail Group
- Tu clothing moves online
- Tesco
- Tesco increases minimum spend threshold for online deliveries
The Consumer – What You Need To Know
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- Laptop/desktops used to shop online at home, smartphones when out of home
- Fashion and tourism-related services the top items bought online
- More flexible delivery options interest Irish consumers
- Additional charges driving up cost of shopping online
Devices Used to Shop Online
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- Online shopping is taking place at home
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- Figure 17: Usage of devices to shop online in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Irish women the main mobile shoppers
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- Figure 18: Use of smartphones and tablets to shop online in the last 12 months, by gender, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 19: Use of smartphones and tablets to shop online in the last 12 months, by gender, RoI, February 2016
Items Purchased Online
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- Fashion an important category online
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- Figure 20: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, smartphone and tablet, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Rural consumers a key market for fashion retailers
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- Figure 21: Consumers who have purchased clothing, footwear or accessories online using a laptop or desktop computer, by location, RoI, February 2016
- Figure 22: Consumers who have purchased clothing, footwear or accessories online using a laptop or desktop computer, by location, NI, February 2016
- Tourism-related services most likely to be booked by men
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- Figure 23: Consumers who have purchased travel (eg flights, holiday packages) and hotel or other overnight accommodation services online using a laptop or desktop computer, by gender, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Streaming to smartphones popular
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- Figure 24: Consumers who have purchased books/CDs/DVDs/video games (physical copies) and streamed or downloaded books/music/movies/games (including rentals) using a laptop/desktop, smartphone and tablet, by age, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 25: Consumers who have purchased books/CDs/DVDs /video games (physical copies) and streamed or downloaded books/music/movies/games (including rentals) using a smartphone and tablet, by age, RoI, February 2016
Types of Delivery Used
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- Home delivery the preferred method of receiving goods
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- Figure 26: Types of delivery used by consumers when shopping online in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Women most likely to click-and-collect
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- Figure 27: Consumers who have used click-and-collect services from the retailer they purchased from, by gender and age, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Flexible delivery appeals most to working consumers
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- Figure 28: Consumers who have had goods delivered to work/other location in the last 12 months, by work status, NI and RoI, February 2016
Attitudes towards Online and Mobile Retailing
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- Cost savings more important than speed of delivery
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- Figure 29: Agreement with statements relating to online and mobile retailing, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Free and cheaper postage costs have broad appeal
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- Figure 30: Agreement with statements relating to online and mobile retailing, by gender and age, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Ease of shopping on websites appeals to Gen Xers in NI, Boomers in RoI
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- Figure 31: Agreement with the statement ‘I find it easier to shop via a standard website compared to a dedicated app’, by age, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Minimum spend surcharges contributing to growing cost of online shopping
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- Figure 32: Agreement with statements relating to online and mobile retailing, by social class, NI, February 2016
- Figure 33: Agreement with statements relating to online and mobile retailing, by social class, RoI, February 2016
- Irish consumers would like more local businesses to trade online
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- Figure 34: Agreement with the statement ‘I would shop online more if there were more NI/RoI based online retailers, by gender and age, NI and RoI, February 2016
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Data sources
- Lifestyle cohort definitions
- Market size rationale
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Consumer
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- NI Toluna data
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- Figure 35: Consumers who have used a laptop/desktop computer to shop online in the last 12 months, by location, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 36: Consumers who have used a smartphone to shop online in the last 12 months, by location, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 37: Consumers who have used a tablet to shop online in the last 12 months, by location, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 38: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 39: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, by demographics, NI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 40: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, by demographics, NI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 41: Types of items/services bought online via smartphone, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 42: Types of items/services bought online via smartphone, by demographics, NI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 43: Types of items/services bought online via smartphone, by demographics, NI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 44: Types of items/services bought online via tablet, by demographics, NI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 45: Types of items/services bought online via tablet, by demographics, NI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 46: Types of items/services bought online via tablet, by demographics, NI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 47: Types of delivery used by consumers when shopping online in the last 12 months, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 48: Agreement with the statement ‘Time-limited online sales encourage me to shop at websites I may not normally use (eg deal-of-the-day/Black Friday offers)’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 49: Agreement with the statement ‘I am interested in having packages delivered by drone (eg Amazon Prime Air)’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 50: Agreement with the statement ‘I would shop online more if there were more NI-based online retailers’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 51: Agreement with the statement ‘I am willing to wait longer for deliveries if it means cheaper/free postage’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 52: Agreement with the statement ‘I prefer to look at a product in-store and then buy it online’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 53: Agreement with the statement ‘I find it easier to shop via a standard website compared to a dedicated app’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 54: Agreement with the statement ‘I have been affected by a company’s data being hacked (eg M&S, Asda)’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 55: Agreement with the statement ‘Minimum spend surcharges (eg €/£4 fee for spending below €/£40 per order) would deter me from shopping online in the future’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 56: Agreement with the statement ‘I prefer to use click-and-collect services compared to having items delivered to my home/work’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
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- Figure 57: Agreement with the statement ‘I find shopping online is more expensive compared to 12 months ago’, by demographics, NI, February 2016
- RoI Toluna data
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- Figure 58: Consumers who have used a laptop/desktop computer to shop online in the last 12 months, by location, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 59: Consumers who have used a smartphone to shop online in the last 12 months, by location, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 60: Consumers who have used a tablet o shop online in the last 12 months, by location, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 61: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 62: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, by demographics, RoI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 63: Types of items/services bought online via laptop/desktop computer, by demographics, RoI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 64: Types of items/services bought online via smartphone, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 65: Types of items/services bought online via smartphone, by demographics, RoI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 66: Types of items/services bought online via smartphone, by demographics, RoI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 67: Types of items/services bought online via tablet, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 68: Types of items/services bought online via tablet, by demographics, RoI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 69: Types of items/services bought online via tablet, by demographics, RoI, February 2016 (continued)
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- Figure 70: Types of delivery used by consumers when shopping online in the last 12 months, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 71: Agreement with the statement ‘Time-limited online sales encourage me to shop at websites I may not normally use (eg deal-of-the-day/Black Friday offers)’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 72: Agreement with the statement ‘I am interested in having packages delivered by drone (eg Amazon Prime Air)’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 73: Agreement with the statement ‘My delivery experience has improved since the introduction of the eircode system’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 74: Agreement with the statement ‘I would shop online more if there were more RoI-based online retailers’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 75: Agreement with the statement ‘I am willing to wait longer for deliveries if it means cheaper/free postage ‘, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 76: Agreement with the statement ‘I prefer to look at a product in-store and then buy it online’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 77: Agreement with the statement ‘I find it easier to shop via a standard website compared to a dedicated app’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 78: Agreement with the statement ‘I have been affected by a company’s data being hacked (eg M&S, Asda)’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 79: Agreement with the statement ‘Minimum spend surcharges (eg €/£4 fee for spending below €/£40 per order) would deter me from shopping online in the future’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 80: Agreement with the statement ‘I prefer to use click-and-collect services compared to having items delivered to my home/work’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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- Figure 81: Agreement with the statement ‘I find shopping online is more expensive compared to 12 months ago’, by demographics, RoI, February 2016
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