New Bank of Ireland debit and credit card figures show that spending on Black Friday - November 26 - was 9% higher than the same time last year.

The bank said it recorded more than 1.1 million point of sale contactless transactions during the Black Friday week.

But consumer spending on Cyber Monday - November 29 - ranked in the bottom half of daily debit and credit card activity that week.

Bank of Ireland said this indicated that consumers were largely satisfied at the end of a long week of online sales, discounts and one-off specials.

It noted that overall retail spending only rose by 3% during Black Friday week compared to 2020, with data analysis showing that spending on electrical goods dropped by 30%.

The Bank of Ireland data noted that teenagers recorded a massive spending surge of 204% during Black Friday week.

No other age category came close in the period, with outlay for 18 to 25 year olds rising by 25% and spending by 26 to 35 year olds up by 14%.

Meanwhile spending by 46 to 55 year olds was up just 10%, with a similar increase for 56 to 65 year olds.

The Bank of Ireland data also shows that the total Black Friday weekly spend rose the most in Wexford (+16%), followed by Cavan, Kildare and Laois (all +15%). But Longford residents saw the lowest comparative spend of just 5%.

John O'Beirne, Director of Business Banking at Bank of Ireland, said that November is always a busy time for spending but the data paints a mixed picture.

"People are still keen on enjoying a nice family meal or a few drinks with friends, as social spending increased during the time period. And perhaps that is reflective of the changes society has undergone in the past 18 months, where many people now treasure their social connections rather than buying new gadgets or the latest tech items," Mr O'Beirne said.

He also said that the Black Friday week data shows that many consumers decided they had what they needed by the end of the week, and Cyber Monday was actually down on last year.

"As we head into the busy Christmas season it will be interesting to review the next round of spending data - consumers appear to know exactly what it is they want (and what they don't) - and we'll have to see if this pattern establishes itself further in the weeks to come," he added.