New data from mobile bank, N26 reveals a major online Christmas spending boom, with a 44% increase in ecommerce volumes among Irish consumers during the second lockdown, versus the six weeks prior.
The bank also compared its data against the previous lockdown period from March to May, which showed that e-commerce volumes were 55% higher during the second lockdown.
In the six weeks before the first lockdown, the bank revealed a decrease in ecommerce spend (-18% volume) and -13% (number of transactions) among female customers.
Overall, as in other European markets, the online Christmas shopping spree is being led by female consumers.
In Ireland, there was a 44% increase in online volume spend and 35% increase in the number of transactions, in comparison to pre-lockdown figures.
Male consumers also showed a 44% increase in e-commerce volumes during the latest lockdown.
However, there was only a 21% increase in the number of transactions among males - indicating that women made more, lower value payments.
This upward swing in consumer spend has been seen by the bank across all age groups, with the exception of the 45-54 cohort, where it saw a decrease (-1%) in overall spend.
"It is very encouraging to see such high figures for the second lockdown period, which indicates that not only has consumer confidence improved versus the first lockdown, but that overall e-commerce spend in Ireland is so strong," said Adrienne Gormley, recently appointed COO, N26.
"In fact, our data shows that Ireland had the second highest increase in e-commerce volume over this period in Europe after Belgium.
"These kinds of figures provide some welcome respite from earlier gloomy economic projections," she said.
