Half of Irish customers less interested in online shopping

Hassle associated with returning items bought online cited by 55% of people in survey

The research was conducted by Amárach Research on behalf of Penneys for the second edition of the company’s Pulse of the Nation Index.

Nearly half of customers in Ireland are now less interested in shopping online with the hassle of returning items among the main reasons, new research shows.

The research was conducted by Amárach Research on behalf of Penneys for the second edition of the company’s Pulse of the Nation Index. As part of it, 1,200 people were surveyed on their online shopping habits and whether their interest in it has decreased.

Penneys does not offer customers the option to buy their products online.

The research found that 46% are now less interested in shopping online following a boom in online retail activity during pandemic lockdowns.

The hassle associated with returning items bought online was cited by 55% of people while 39% said increased costs associated with returning goods, and 21% said the carbon footprint associated with making returns.

Among the other top reasons given for people losing interest in online shopping, 45% said it was products not being as advertised and 31% cited delays in getting the items. 

Pandemic

The research points out that the shift to mostly online shopping during the pandemic did not become a permanent change since lockdowns were lifted as shopping behaviour seems to have reverted back to its pre-2020 norm.

According to the CSO, in April 2020 online sales accounted for 15.5% of total retail turnover. The proportion of clothing, footwear and textiles sold online increased significantly, accounting for 81% of all sales.

However, in May this year, the proportion of all sales done online was 5.2%.

In addition, according to the research, 61% of people said they feel shopping in stores is more enjoyable than online.

Of the people surveyed, 72% said trying on items was one of the main reasons they preferred to shop in-store, with 54% noting the ease of returning, and 47% saying not having to wait for items to be delivered.

Gerard O’Neill, chairman of Amárach Research, said there was a narrative that the future of retail was online but trends seen over the last 18 months suggest that this is much more complex with trends reverting to something similar to pre-2020.

“The Irish public is clearly still a huge fan of the in-store experience and with more people spending time in their communities to hybrid working, it represents an opportunity to revitalise towns and villages across Ireland,” he said.