Clothes or sports goods were the most popular online purchase in 2019, purchased by over half (51%) of internet users. The next most common types of internet purchases made by individuals in the last twelve months (prior to interview) were Holiday accommodation (47%), and Other travel arrangements (includes travel tickets, car hire, etc.) and Tickets for events, both at 45%. See Table 7.1 and Figure 7.1.
There are clear differences between age groups in the types of goods and services bought online. The largest difference was for Clothes or sports goods, with 68% of individuals aged 16 to 29 years purchasing these, compared with just 23% of those aged 60 to 74. See Table 7.1.
For internet users whose principal economic status was At work, 56% purchased Holiday accommodation online compared with just one quarter (25%) of internet users in the Unemployed category. Over half (54%) of all persons At work who purchased online in the previous twelve months, used the internet to buy or order Other travel arrangements (such as travel tickets, car hire, etc.) online, compared with just 23% of internet users whose principal economic status was Unemployed. See Table 7.1.
| Type of internet purchase | Clothes or sports goods | Holiday accommodation | Other travel arrangements | Tickets for events | Household goods | Electronic equipment | Books magazines and newspapers | E-books | E-magazines/ newspapers | Telecommunication services |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of internet purchase | 51 | 47 | 45 | 45 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 11 | 5 | 22 |
There were also notable differences between deprivation quintiles in the types of goods and services bought online. Six out of every ten (60%) internet users in the Fifth quintile - very affluent deprivation quintile purchased Clothes and/or sports goods online, compared with just 42% of internet users in the deprivation quintile First quintile - very disadvantaged. Similarly, 61% of persons in the Fifth quintile - very affluent deprivation quintile purchased or ordered online Holiday accommodation, compared with 35% of internet users in the First quintile - very disadvantaged deprivation quintile. Twice as many internet users in the Fifth quintile - very affluent deprivation quintile purchased Other travel arrangements, compared with internet users in the First quintile - very disadvantaged category. Similarly, almost twice as many internet users in the Fifth quintile - very affluent deprivation quintile bought Tickets for events online compared with internet users in the First quintile - very disadvantaged deprivation quintile. More than twice as many persons in the Fifth quintile - very affluent category purchased Food and groceries, Books, magazines and newspapers and Computer hardware online, compared with internet users in the First quintile - very disadvantaged deprivation quintile. Online purchase or ordering of E-learning material was carried out by 11% of internet users in the Fifth - very affluent deprivation quintile, compared with just 3% of internet users in the First quintile - very disadvantaged deprivation category. See Tables 7.1, 7.2 and Figure 7.2.
| Type of internet purchase | Films and music | Films/music downloaded or accessed from websites/apps | Video games, software and software upgrades | Computer software downloaded or accessed from websites/apps | Food and groceries | E-learning material | Computer hardware | Medicine | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of internet purchase | 20 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
In 2019, 63% of persons who made purchases online in the previous twelve months did not experience any problems. One fifth (20%) stated that Speed of delivery was an issue, while Foreign retailer did not sell to Ireland and Technical failure of the website were given as reason by 13% and 9% respectively of individuals who made purchases online. Just 3% of respondents cited Problems with fraudulent activity while 8% of individuals had problems with Wrong or damaged goods or services delivered and 7% reported Poor customer service as an issue. See Table 7.3.
One third (33%) of individuals who purchased online did so six or more times in the previous three months - between six and ten internet purchases were made by almost one fifth (19%) of internet users, while 14% purchased eleven times or more over the internet. Persons who made three to five purchases in the previous three months, increased by two percentage points when compared to the same period in 2018, 38% in 2019 compared with 36% in 2018. The number of individuals purchasing only once or twice online fell one percentage point from 30% in 2018 to 29% in the same period in 2019. See Table 7.4 and Figure 7.3.
| 1 to 2 purchases | 3 to 5 purchases | 6 to 10 purchases | More than 10 purchases | |
| 2017 | 33 | 41 | 17 | 9 |
| 2018 | 30 | 36 | 20 | 15 |
| 2019 | 29 | 38 | 19 | 14 |
Online purchasing from National sellers remains the most common with nearly three quarters (73%) of persons buying or ordering their goods from National sellers. However, purchasing goods or services online from Sellers from other EU countries has increased eight percentage points on the same period in 2018, 68% in 2019 compared with 60% in 2018. Similarly, internet purchasing from Sellers from the rest of the world increased by eleven percentage points on the same quarter in 2018, 37% in 2019 compared with 26% in 2018. Note that respondents may have selected more than one option. See Table 7.5.
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