A retail expert has warned that jobs in the sector are at risk due to new technology.
Around 280,000 people are currently employed in Irish retail, with large stores such as Tesco and Dunnes employing up to 20,000 people.
Damien O'Reilly, lecturer in retail management at Dublin Institute of Technology, has said change is coming.
He said jobs are at risk and retail staff need to be redeployed and retrained, especially as shopkeepers want to reassign people rather than let people go.
"What we see here is that the technology is changing the way that retail is happening within store, even small things like shelf-ready packaging, which means we don't have to stack the shelves as often as we used to, because basically you just tear off the outer cover and put it on the shelves so there's no individual packing, so that takes labour away.
"New technology, self-service checkouts, they all take labour away. But what retailers want to be able to do is to reassign people rather than make people redundant or let people go.
"Because service is one of the things we need to differentiate ourselves on here in Ireland, I would say particularly in the retail setting to give yourself a competitive advantage you really need to have better levels of service.
"We do it in certain areas here, we're very, very good at meet and greet, but we don't do it well enough, I think personally, in the retail sector. So retail staff need to be redeployed and retrained."
Meanwhile, CEO of the retail industry group Retail Excellence David Fitzsimons said that despite technology and competition from online giants, retail is "simple" and it is down to companies to provide a really "compelling offer".
He said: "Customers today, while they do want to do commerce online they also seek out and want really great, I suppose, experiences. And what we're seeing in Irish consumers today is the necessity and the want for midweek convenience, and weekend experience.
"So that means making it really easy for people to come in to the shops, the butchers and the pharmacy midweek and then get home and do the homework and all that kind of stuff.
"But weekend experience is all about offering people 3 or 4 hours away, an oasis of pleasure where people can shop. They can enjoy some hospitality and food and entertain their kids, and have a great family day out."
