New figures from the Central Statistics Office shows that retail sales were flat in October on a monthly basis, while they rose by 5.8% on an annual basis.
The CSO said that when car sales are excluded, the volume of retail sales fell by 1.1% in October compared to September while they rose by 4.2% on a yearly basis.
The sectors with the biggest monthly increases were pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles, with sales in that sector up by 9.3%, while furniture and lighting sales increased by 2.8%.
The sector which saw the biggest decrease of 19.8% was "Other Retail" sales - this includes the likes of carpets, games and toys, flowers and plants, pet food and jewellery.
Bar sales also slowed by 4.6% on a monthly basis in October.
Commenting on today's figures, Merrion economist Alan McQuaid said that retail sales continue to remain erratic on a monthly basis and are still swinging back and forth.
But he stressed that the underlying trend remains positive.
"Even with the fluctuation in consumer sentiment, overall personal spending has been positive in the past couple of years, boosted by the increase in the numbers employed in the country," Mr Mc Quaid said.
"This is despite the fact that the weakness in sterling since the June 2016 Brexit referendum has enticed some shoppers to spend in Northern Ireland," he added.
He said that what happens on the currency and Brexit fronts will be important factors in determining overall consumer spending patterns in the Republic over the next 12 to 18 months.
"But we are still expecting to see healthy personal consumption in the Irish economy over the remainder of this year at least and into 2019 as well as things currently stand," the economist added.
