12.9% rise in dot.ie registrations last year
The IE Domain Registry (IEDR) — the body which manages registration for Irish internet addresses — has reported a 12.9% increase in registrations for 2011. While the growth rate was pretty much the same as for 2010, in percentage terms, it boosts the number of websites with a dot.ie address to 173,145, up from 153,419 as of the end of 2010.
David Curtin, IEDR chief executive, yesterday expressed his pleasure at the continued growth, despite challenging times for Irish businesses.
However, Mr Curtin added that there remains “significant untapped potential” in the market for Irish companies to establish and grow their e-business through online sales, and for those with an online portal site to further exploit the benefits of such a sales channel.
“The IEDR will, as part of its commitment to managing Ireland’s top level domain in the interests of the Irish internet community, continue to play its part in providing a leadership role in both raising awareness of this important issue and running targeted initiatives to support Irish SMEs reach their online potential,” he said.
A report conducted on behalf of the IEDR, last year, found that only two thirds of Irish companies had an online presence, and of those only 21% had e-commerce capability.
“The collective effort of information campaigns and promotions has contributed to increased registrations. The IEDR believes that more work needs to be done by Irish SMEs and policymakers to fully harness the potential for online sales,” Mr Curtin added.
Last year saw the IEDR launch a €100,000 e-commerce website development fund for small companies and it has promised further like-minded initiatives for this year.
Meanwhile, last year also saw 12.8% of dot.ie registered sites choosing not to renew their subscriptions (down from a 14% non-renewal rate in 2010), but this was largely down to specific use websites — for promotions and the like — running their course.
