People are spending more on food and drink and household goods as consumer confidence continues to grow.

Irish consumer confidence is growing again as people are starting to spend more money on nights out and shopping.

Visa’s Irish operations had a record year in 2014 with €28.4bn being spent by consumers via the payments technology firm’s products.

Some €21.3bn worth of consumer transactions were carried out last year via Visa card products in Ireland.

Irish businesses are being urged to keep up-to-date with payment technology trends with card-based spending by overseas visitors nudging the €800m mark this year.

Despite allegations to the contrary, print media does not print just bad news.

The shadow economy is costing the Government roughly €20bn, which is 12% of total GDP, because of undeclared or under-reporting of earnings.

Visa is anticipating that by 2015 €1 in every €3 spent by Irish consumers will be via one of its products — credit, debit, or pre-paid cards.

Retail Ireland is calling on the Government to introduce measures to keep spending in the domestic economy.

Consumers in Ireland carry about €78.2m in cash every day — or about €23 each.

Tesco’s virtual changing rooms allow you to ‘try on’ clothes online. Deirdre Reynolds starts clicking

CONSUMERS in Ireland are increasingly shifting towards an electronic payment culture, new figures suggest.

Retailers have demanded no hikes in excise duty as a survey showed a sixth of motorists plan to Christmas shop across the border.