There was a modest rise in consumer spending in April when compared to growth in recent months.

Spending by Irish households has shown signs of picking up, which may be a glimmer of hope for retailers that consumers will increase spending in the coming months.

Irish consumer spending rose 2.2% in August, on a year-on-year basis, aided by low inflation and rising wages. While the annual rate of growth was unchanged from July and weaker than the 4.8% average seen since 2014, further spending increases are expected up to the end of the year.

The economy may already be overheating as fears about Brexit, skills shortages and political insecurity loom large, Ireland’s business directors believe.

The boom is back on the high street as spending on household goods had its sharpest rise in a year and a half.

Consumer spending in September has risen at its fastest pace for six months with household expenditure up at its highest rate since March and the increase in high street shopping for a year, Pádraig Hoare.

Spending by Irish consumers remains weak, according to Visa Ireland, which monitors spending by cards, cheques, and cash in the economy.

The growth in Irish consumer spending is “moderate” with online sales continuing to attract more customers while some bricks-and-mortar stores lose out, according to Visa.

Online shopping is gradually replacing face-to-face spending, as the growth in consumer spending continues to slow.

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Conventional shops are seeing a drop in sales, as Irish consumers spend online to take advantage of the weakness of sterling.

The number of Irish people using mobile devices to make payments has tripled in the past year.

Irish consumers are spending more money on their credit cards when they travel overseas, according to information from Visa Europe.

Changes introduced as part of last year’s budget which raised the limit for what customers can spend with contactless payments has helped the number of transactions double in just six months.

The popularity of online shopping continues to gather momentum with latest figures showing a significant upswing in April as unseasonably cold weather took its toll on the high street.

The growing use of electronic payments contributed €1.8bn to the economy during the recession through increased consumption and larger tax revenues, according to new research.

The signs of economic recovery are evident in the latest snapshot showing increased discretionary spending on leisure, holidays and even Valentine’s gifts.

Ireland is fast moving towards becoming a cashless society, with new data from Visa showing a 12.7% rise in card spending last year to €31.7bn. Visa Europe, which issued the figures for 2015, said that, by the end of last year, there were 5.7m cards in the Irish market. Around 80% of them are debit cards.

There was no slowdown in Irish consumer spending last month, new figures indicate.