Some 43 per cent of Irish consumers have at one stage intentionally avoided a shop that did not have card or contactless payment facilities, according to a new survey by card payment provider BOI Payment Acceptance (BOIPA ).
The survey, conducted by Amarach Research among 1,000 Irish adults, found that almost three-quarters of Irish card holders use contactless payments, two-thirds at least weekly, with 25 to 34 year olds being the most prolific users of contactless payments.
Ireland’s payment landscape is changing fast. In addition to the rapid proliferation of contactless payment services, mobile payment services, which allow consumers to pay for goods and services via their smartphone, have recently been adopted by some financial institutions in Ireland.
This usage is, however, still relatively limited. Only 12 per cent of Irish consumers have used mobile payment services like Apple Pay or Android Pay, and this is highest among millennials. However, of those that have used or do use mobile payments, it was narrowly preferred over payment with debit cards - 50 per cent versus 44 per cent.
Irish people spent approximately €9 billion online in 2016, and this is expected to grow to €14 billion by 2021. In light of this growth in online sales, 53 per cent of consumers still prefer shopping in person. An additional 21 per cent favour online shopping and the remaining 26 per cent have no preference.
Despite this preference for shopping in person, more than a quarter of those surveyed would go to a competitor if online shopping was not an option with their preferred retailer.
Online shopping proved most popular amongst millennials, with 33 per cent favouring making online or in-app purchases on items including groceries, clothes, air travel, books and music, versus 15 per cent or less for those aged 45 and older.
Surprisingly, in the age of the smartphone, the majority of consumers (48 per cent ) conduct their online shopping via laptops, with a quarter favouring smartphones, followed by 17 per cent on desktop, and 11 per cent on tablet.
