Online shopping continues to increase

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.

Overall, the rate of growth of household expenditure across all payment types signalled a rebound in April with spending up 9.7% year-on-year.

Figures from Visa Europe’s Irish Consumer Spending Index show recreation and culture remain the best-performing sectors, up 20.7%, much of it attributed to attempts by consumers to escape the dreary weather by booking trips with travel agents.