The recession has forced cost-conscious consumers to change spending habits. Value for money has become a key concern of shoppers. And easy access to online shopping, via smartphone or computer, has greatly simplified matters. In the digital world consumers have access to a wider range of goods, often at lower prices than traditional retailers. Shoppers who use the internet can search for value, and compare prices before deciding whether to buy online, or offline in a store. The shopping patterns of Irish and British consumers have greatly altered in recent years, a new study by Bord Bia has found. Once, typical household shopping involved a single weekly trip to a large supermarket. Now value-oriented consumers increasingly pre-plan before they shop, making less use of hypermarkets, and favouring smaller retail outlets more.

The report “Tomorrow’s Shopper” notes how the interaction between technology and consumer trends is leading to a “tipping point” in shopping behaviour. Other recent reports have confirmed this trend. Internet shoppers who buy online spend three times more than in a traditional store. Online grocery sales rose 8 per cent in the past year, but in-store growth was minimal. And last year 94 per cent of all Irish consumers made an online purchase.

In global terms, Amazon has been the pioneer of online shopping. The company, which began as an online bookseller, has since greatly extended its retail range. Consumers do benefit from lower prices, but predatory pricing has also had a damaging impact on smaller publishers and booksellers. The changed landscape of the traditional high street, whether in Ireland or the UK – with far fewer retail outlets, more charity shops and much less diversity – partly reflects the impact of recession. But increasingly, it is a measure of increased dominance of online retailers, benefiting from lower costs and economies of scale; a competitive advantage that traditional bricks and mortar retailers have struggled to match.