The state of digital commerce for Irish businesses

Key takeaways:

Irish businesses have spent a decade getting customers online. That job is largely done. The harder task now is scaling: reaching new markets, meeting higher expectations and doing both without adding cost and complexity.

What’s holding Irish SMEs back from scaling digitally?

Digital commerce has often grown piece by piece. A payment gateway arrived first, then a booking or stock system, and reporting sits somewhere else. Disconnected systems create manual work, but they are only one barrier.

Limited time and budget make large projects hard to justify. Digital skills are difficult to hire and harder to keep. Selling abroad adds currencies, regulations and delivery questions. Meanwhile, customers expect speed and convenience wherever they shop. Together, these pressures explain why many businesses have a working online presence but struggle to grow it.

Why payments, checkout and customer trust matter

Trust is a growth factor. Customers buy where paying feels secure and familiar, and Irish shoppers have moved quickly. 89.9% of point-of-sale card payments in Ireland were contactless in the first half of 2026, and mobile wallets accounted for 64.2% of those.

Online, friction costs sales. Research by Nexi found that almost 50% of European travellers have abandoned a booking because the payment process was too complex. Preferred methods vary by market and age group. The aim is not to offer everything, but to offer what your customers recognise and trust. 

The cross-border and omnichannel opportunity

A small domestic market makes international growth a natural next step for Irish businesses, and online channels make it accessible. But selling beyond Ireland means meeting customers on their terms: prices shown in their currency, the local payment methods they prefer and clear delivery expectations.

The same thinking applies to international visitors spending in Ireland, whether in shops, restaurants or attractions. Online and in-person commerce should work together, so a customer can browse on a phone, buy in store or collect later without friction.  

Services such as Tax Free shopping, which help eligible visitors reclaim VAT, show how small improvements to the buying experience can encourage spending that might otherwise go elsewhere. Overseas visitors spent €5.47 billion in Ireland last year, around 60% of all tourism spend. Spending fell 9% on the previous year, which makes every sale to an international visitor worth protecting. 

Looking ahead

Digital wallets, account-to-account payments, and better-connected systems will keep reshaping how people buy. The first decade was about getting customers online. The next decade will reward businesses that make it easy for customers to trust them and buy, wherever they are.