Shopping from sofa will reach €10bn by 2023

SMART-PHONE shopping at the click of a button is expected to help drive internet sales to nearly €10bn in Ireland by 2023.

A new study from Euromonitor International found the penetration of high-speed broadband across Ireland, along with the rising trend for purchasing over the phone, will see online purchases soar over the next five years.

Internet shopping has already more than doubled from just over €2bn in 2013 to €4.8bn last year.

The Euromonitor International study said online shopping was rising among all age groups.

“Internet retailing is becoming a norm in life for most Irish consumers, including older consumers who are becoming more tech savvy,” said the study.

“High-speed broadband penetration levels are expected to improve considerably across rural Ireland, with most urban areas already having excellent connectivity,” according to the Euromonitor analyst.

The study said mobile commerce would also grow at a rapid pace due to the roll-out of 4G networks even further and as smart-phone technology continued to improve.

The study found the two major grocery retailers which offer online shopping, SuperValu and Tesco, have seen “rapid expansion in online delivery over the past number of years”.