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31% of consumers are more likely to continue shopping online for clothes, toys and electronic goods after Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, a survey conducted by Banking & Payment Federation Ireland shows.

But one in five of those consumers who have shopped online for groceries, hardware and DIY or newspapers and magazines are less likely to shop online for these products once the restrictions are eased. 

Today’s BPFI survey found that Irish adults shop online 44 times a year with over 35% claiming to shop online on at least a weekly basis. 

It also reveals that men shop online more frequently than women – 50 times a year compared to 38 times a year.

Millennials – people aged between 25 and 37 – shop online more than any other age group.

Meanwhile, both men and women say they are more likely to continue to shop online for clothes, while a higher proportion of men than women are more likely to shop online for games and films, books and music post restrictions.

Further analysis from the survey shows that 69% of adults here shop online at least once a month, in line with salary payments.

But the proportion of those shopping online drops as consumers get older and varies significantly by region – with an online shopping rate of 76% in Dublin compared to 64% in Connacht/Ulster.

BPFI’s chief executive Brian Hayes said that online shopping has seen rapid growth in recent years, with almost €5.8 billion in e-commerce sales on credit and debit cards in the first quarter of this year alone.

“The scale of this is further demonstrated when you consider that e-commerce accounted for 41.8% of card spend in that quarter, up from 31.3% only five years earlier,” Mr Hayes said. 

“Traditional ways of purchasing are changing rapidly, and our findings today emphasize that the shift to online shopping will be further fuelled by the current pandemic which will have a lasting impact in terms of reshaping consumers shopping habits and preferences,” he added.

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