Only 23% of SMEs in the €4bn Irish online shopping market

Irish companies are being urged to increase their online presence to help expand their operations.

Figures from the Dublin Chamber of Commerce show that only 23% of small and medium enterprises in Ireland trade on the internet.

However, Irish consumers spend almost €4bn per year online, which is forecast to grow to close to €6bn by 2016.

AOL's Chief Technology Officer, Curtis Brown, speaking at an event to coincide with the Dublin Web Summit, said it is worth investing in online sales:

"There are increasing commoditised solutions that will both let you build a website and have a strong mobile component with that website … it's no longer something that's relegated to the very big technology companies or people with very big bankrolls," he said.

He also added that it was something that is "so expected" from consumers.