Around 80% of people used the internet for shopping, banking, or booking and ordering services online in 2023, according to new research from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The Household Digital Consumer Behaviour survey shows that email remains the most popular internet activity, with 93% of internet users who were surveyed in 2023 saying they used it, up from 91% in 2022.
Finding information about goods or services was the second most popular internet activity in 2023 at 90%, followed by internet or mobile banking, including PayPal, Revolut and Apple Pay, at 88%.
Clothes, shoes or accessories continue to be the most common purchases online, according to 69% of internet users.
Women were more likely than men to do an online course at 25% compared with 23% of males.
Almost eight in ten internet users used electronic identification (eID) to access online services provided by the public or private sectors.
Use of streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ or downloads increased by five percentage points on 2022, up to 48% of internet users, compared with 43% in 2022.
Four in ten said they had filed their tax return or self-assessment online themselves, while over one quarter said that it was done automatically, such as by their employer.
Renting accommodation from a private person via website or app, such as on Airbnb, RoomShare or CouchSurfing, decreased in 2023.
Around 10% of internet users reported booking accommodation online in this way in 2023 compared with 15% in 2022.
"When the survey was last carried out, there were varying levels of Covid-19 restrictions still in place, so this is the first post-Covid-19 publication carried out during a time when all restrictions had been lifted," said Maureen Delamere, CSO statistician.
"The pandemic had resulted in greater use of ICT and the internet, and, at times, different patterns of digital consumer behaviour.
"Post-Covid-19, despite the return to on-street retail, shopping online at an overall level only decreased marginally, 78% of internet users purchased goods and/or services online in 2023, compared with 81% in the same period in 2022," Ms Delamere added.
The Household Digital Consumer Behaviour report is the second of three publications presenting the results of the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey, which was carried out in the first three quarters of 2023.
The first publication, Internet Access and Usage in Ireland 2023, was published on in November and covered household internet access and individuals' frequency of internet usage.
Household Internet Security and Information Integrity 2023 will be published next week and will provide results on internet security and the measures taken by individuals to safeguard their privacy and protect their personal data when using the internet.
