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Young men are top e-shoppers in Ireland
28-04-2008
by Deirdre McArdle

Young males are the most active online shoppers in Ireland, accounting for 60 percent of consumers who make regular purchases over the internet.

That's according to a survey conducted by 3V Transaction Services, which revealed that 75 percent of Irish online shoppers are spending as much as EUR200 a month on internet purchases. These regular e-shoppers are making between 10 and 20 percent of their monthly purchases online. 3V Transaction Services is the company behind 3V online vouchers, which function as sort of pay-as-you-go disposable credit cards that can be used to make purchases online.

Just over half of the respondents to the survey (57 percent) said they shop online at least once a month, while 14 percent said they conduct weekly online shopping sprees. Over two-thirds of the regular male shoppers said they plan to up the amount of shopping they do online in the future. The key advantages of internet shopping were cited as better discounts, ability to compare products and prices, and being able to check product availability.

According to the survey, leisure and hobby purchases are the most popular online transactions. In the past year computer accessories and music downloads have made their way up Irish consumers' online shopping lists, alongside CDs, DVDs, holidays, fights and event tickets.

Certainly, online shopping appears to be gaining popularity among Irish internet users. A survey conducted by research firm iReach in February showed that, along with e-mailing and random surfing, shopping was the most popular online pastime in Ireland. Some 55 percent of home internet users said they do a spot of shopping on the internet.

With security one of the issues said to stymie growth in online shopping, facilities such as 3V online vouchers -- and other methods on the way such as UseCash, an online/offline method of internet shopping -- have been largely welcomed by consumers and retailers. Following their launch in Ireland in October 2005, 3V vouchers rolled out in the UK in 2006 and are on track to be released in Germany in 2008. 3V Transaction Services, which works in collaboration with Permanent TSB, says it has now clocked up 200,000 customers for its disposable credit card.