Last year 8 out of 10 Irish consumers were making a large amount of their purchases online according to the Central Statistics Office. Everything from clothes, sports goods, ready made food to furniture and toys have now been purchased more than ever online as customers turn to the convenience and choice of online shopping.

It would seem that Brexit & Covid have done little to deter purchasing habits as the frequency of online shopping by individuals has also increased to an extent where 90% of internet users surveyed aged between 16 & 44 years were regularly shopping online.

In perhaps the most interesting news from a merchant perspective, in 2020 over 67% of eCommerce merchants in Ireland had a turnover of over €1M a year. This was an increase of 8% over 2019 and seems to have been fuelled by demand & the scalability of eCommerce as an efficient business model. However, with all the good news, businesses still need to remain highly competitive as the top 15% of online merchants operating in Ireland are selling over €20 Million a year & there are signs a gap in revenue is growing between the other 85% of online merchants below €20m in sales.

Paul Rogers, Managing Director of Carlton Design says that “In order for businesses to compete today, they must be thinking about digital strategy and reach. You need to be reaching the right customers regularly with a consistent message and a brand that builds loyalty across all platforms.”

He is also quick to point out that “it’s commonly held that it costs 5 times more to sell to a new customer than to retain an existing one, so providing a good service which doesn’t disappear after the initial sale is made is crucial.”

Dundalk based firm, Carlton Design, CarltonDesign.ie is a new company providing web design, graphics & technology support services to businesses in Louth and surrounding counties. Paul Rogers setup the company last year in response to the huge demand for services in the area which is anticipated to grow exponentially over the next 5 years. Paul hails from Dundalk and has worked in the web design & cybersecurity space for AXA Insurance, Alkermes Pharmaceuticals, KPMG and a range of financial services firms. Educated at UCD and a graduate in Business he recently became formally certified in Digital Marketing & Graphic Design. He feels that he has the right set of skills to deliver a 1st class service and he looks forward to working with local businesses as they scale in size and grow their customer base.