Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has called for a stronger online city centre shopping experience. At a debate at the recent City Council meeting Cllr McCarthy raised that 50 per cent of the Republic’s population shop online and spend on average e3000 per year; “eCommerce has had a significant impact on Cork City’s shopping experience. For many people with busy working lives it is easier to buy online. For the young generation, many of them shop online. It is heartening to hear of the Cork. Business Association’s online Cork City shopping portal plus to hear that Cork City’s Local Enterprise Office is helping 50 businesses in the city his year to go online, as well as the Council developing a Digital strategy. All of these strategies need to speed up”.
“There is still alot of work to do when it comes to promoting City Centre shopping online. Much debate has been had on the need for parking measures. But little debate has happened that more and more we are seeing research reports that to connect with younger consumers, retailers must develop engaging and relevant social media strategies, as 94 percent of 18 to 24 year olds find their inspiration to purchase on social media.
Almost two-thirds of those surveyed by Paypal this year used a mobile device for shopping in the last year, which represents a growth of 61 percent of mobile spending in Ireland in 2018 to €2.8 billion. This is a clear indicator that having a mobile-friendly website is no longer an option, but rather a critical success factor for retailers”.