Despite three quarters of Irish consumers saying they are 'very' or 'somewhat concerned' about the security of their data while online shopping, 60 per cent of Irish small and medium enterprises (SMEs) say they take no particular steps to protect their customers data online, or that they do not know how to do so.
The research, carried out by .IE, found the majority of consumers plan to prioritise online shopping this year, with just 45 per cent stating they will do most of their shopping in-store, dropping to 29 per cent among Millennials.
The move away from cash, sped-up by the pandemic, is evident in the research, as 62 per cent of consumers say they use cash less often compared to pre-Covid times.
Older generations were found to be among the least cash-friendly, with 66 per cent of Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) stating they were using cash less often, compared to 58 per cent of Gen X (1965-1980) and 62 per cent of older Millennials (1981-1990).
The investment of half of SMEs in their online presence since the onset of the pandemic appears to have reaped the rewards, as 30 per cent of businesses surveyed say they are now busier than they were previously.
Looking down the line, just over half (54 per cent) of SMEs say they are planning a significant digital investment in the next five years, with most focusing on launching a new website (23 per cent), improving their existing one (15 per cent), or building a dedicated app (13 per cent).
