Irish households will each spend €2,690 on average this Christmas, according to research by the business group Retail Ireland.
The figure represents a 3% increase on the average spend last year.
With just over three weeks to go to Christmas, the busiest shopping period of the year is in full swing.
According to Retail Ireland's Christmas Retail Monitor, households in Ireland will spend €866 more during December than during any other month in the year.
In total, it expects that €4.65bn will be spent during the period - €150 million more than last Christmas.
But it says retailers here face a growing challenge from foreign competitors selling into Ireland over the internet.
It also points to lower consumer sentiment of late, driven by concerns over Brexit.
The monitor says consumers in Ireland should be able to find value though, with prices falling 0.8% in the first ten months of the year, and by 10% over the past five years.
While retailers are reporting lower footfall over the Black Friday weekend, local shops did experience an uptick in sales online, according to the organisation.
