Online Christmas spending to reach €55m

IRISH shoppers will be spending almost €55 million on the internet in the run up to Christmas, with concert tickets, compact discs and DVDs among the most popular items so far.

An estimated 250,000 people will log on to buy presents, other goods and services with each spending on average 216, according to a survey.

The highest spenders are people aged between 45 and 64, this group spending on average €314 each on the net before Christmas.

The poll, carried out for telecommunications regulator ComReg, reveals consumers in the top ABC1 income bracket will spend on average €217 each.

The lowest spending age group will be the 25-44s (€180), while 15 to 24-year-olds will spend an estimated €206 per head.

Men will spend €245 each and women €168, according to survey compilers Amárach Consulting.

The estimates were worked out after a sample of 1,000 people were quizzed last month on their internet shopping habits. One in five of those asked about Christmas shopping plans said they intended to buy items online. However, 64% said they were sticking to traditional ways of shopping.

Men were more likely than women to do online festive shopping as were those with the high-speed broadband internet connection.

ComReg public affairs manager Tom Butler said: “As the internet has become more established, consumers have become increasingly interested in using it to shop online.

“Christmas is the biggest consumer spending season of the year, and this report shows just how important Christmas internet shopping will be as part of this year’s festive purchases.

“As the benefits of online shopping become more apparent to consumers, we can expect that in time the ‘e-Christmas’ effect will begin to contribute to an even greater share of the season’s spending total.”

The survey revealed that 43% of the 1,000 polled had shopped online over the last three months.

Of those, almost 60% said they had bought airline tickets while 23% had purchased concert tickets and 20% music gifts like CDs.

A separate Christmas survey from consultancy firm Deloitte revealed that 75% of respondents in Ireland planned to use the internet to browse for products and look for shops with two-thirds buying products and services online.

The respondents said convenience was a big factor - saving time was considered more important than saving money to Irish consumers.

But the Deloitte survey, which polled 6,800 internet users in nine EU countries, revealed that 30% of Irish respondents said they would also be spending more time online comparing prices this year.