NEW AIB data has revealed that Clare consumers are spending 19 per cent less than normal since Covid-19 started to impact Ireland.

However, Clare consumers are spending 26 per cent more on groceries, with those between the age of 45 and 54 recording the biggest increase in grocery spend at 36 per cent.

On March 12 when schools closed and people were asked to work from home, grocery spend nationally was 60 per cent higher compared with the previous Thursday as people rushed to buy necessities. Clare consumers spent an average of €77 per grocery transaction on this day, compared with an average of only €61 the previous Thursday.

Speaking about the data, Chief Digital Innovation Officer at AIB Fergal Coburn said “The Covid-19 crisis has dramatically impacted the lives of Irish consumers and our data shows how consumers are responding to these changes in their spending habits. It also provides valuable insight for Irish businesses who are trying to adapt to this exceptionally challenging situation.”

National data has been compiled from over one million transactions between March 8 and April 11 and has been anonymised and aggregated.

Over 65s have recorded the biggest drop in spending as they adhere to government advice, with spending down 27 per cent among this age group. 

Since a lot of stores were required to close as a result of Covid-19, Irish consumers have started to spend more online, with online clothing retailers performing strongly. The biggest online spending increase on a single day was on Friday April 10, Good Friday, when consumers spent 107 per cent more than normal on clothing.

This increase in clothing spend on this day was largely driven by under 25s as they spent 249 per cent more than normal. Meanwhile, those over the age of 65 spent 37 per cent more than usual buying clothes online on the same day.