Almost half shop online more since Covid-19
37% began shopping online for the first time at the start of the pandemic
Nine out of ten consumers have spent money online over the past month, with the average online monthly spend now standing at €245.
New research from Virgin Media and Amárach Research shows the pandemic has fuelled online shopping with nearly half (47%) of respondents admitting they shop more online now than they ever did previously.
37% said they began shopping online for the first time at the start of the pandemic.
Four in 10 consumers said they had spent amounts of up to €100 online in the past month, with a further grouping (40%) saying they spent between €100 and €500. Roughly 10% admitted to spending between €500 to €1,000 or more.
Taking the above into account, the research estimates current average monthly online spending by consumers at €775m per month or an annualised figure of €9.3bn.
This is a conservative estimate given that a significant online Christmas rush can reasonably be expected by year-end. Central Bank data recorded online spending of €15.9bn for the first three quarters of 2019.
50% of people surveyed said they’d be interested in using their laptop or smartphone to navigate a ‘virtual supermarket’ for online shopping.
Four in ten said they’d be interested in wearing a VR headset at home to allow them ‘walk around’ these virtual stores to select and buy products they would like delivered to their home.
Paul Higgins, Vice-President, Virgin Media Ireland said it was “of great interest” that people are prepared to try new ways of shopping from home including virtual reality.
“With the march of technology, it’s totally within the bounds of reality that this could happen in the future,” he said.
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