eCommerce Index Research Conducted by B&A Ireland on behalf of An Post Commerce. The An Post Commerce eCommerce Index tracks online retail and purchasing trends in Ireland measuring the activity of both consumers and SMEs. The An Post Commerce eCommerce Index was compiled from the perceptions of 1,504 members of the public and 366 Small Medium Enterprises (SME’s). An Post Commerce commissioned Behaviour & Attitudes to carry out the research between April-May 2023. Irish Consumer eCommerce Behaviours 94% of all adults have shopped online in the past 3 months with 96% shopping online for physical goods, not including groceries, in the past 12 months. Clothing and footwear, beauty and books and media are the top categories for online purchases over the last 3 month period - over 65’s have a higher purchase rate on books, media and music (21% vs 12% total) while clothing, footwear and apparel dominate female purchases (51% vs 43% total) 24% of Irish adult consumers are selling items online and 80% intending to sell online again. 58% of female consumers stated that shopping online better suited their lifestyle – female shoppers are twice as likely 17% vs 8% to be prompted to purchase via social media. 81% of shoppers stated that ‘phygital’ shopping experiences are important to them – ability to order out of stock items in-store for delivery at home. Emergence of new online shopping channels – 41% through an app/ 38% via social media or marketplace apps. Online subscriptions are a growth area– 1 in 4 of us have an ongoing subscription, but nearly 1 in 2 in the younger demographic. Influence of social media on shopping behaviour 64% of 16-24 year olds and 43% of 25-34 year olds have been influenced by celebrity/ influencer recommendations. eCommerce and Ireland's economy Support for domestic Irish eCommerce businesses is particularly high as more than half (52%) orders placed online come from shoppers in Ireland, while 1 in 3 (29%) are placed by shoppers in the UK. The majority of Irish SME’s eCommerce sales are in Ireland (50%), while 25% are to Northern Ireland and the remaining 25% of sales are to the UK and other European countries.