.IE Domain Profile Report 2021 - January-June

Foreword The .IE Domain Profile Report explores and analyses the .ie database. In this edition, we assess the first half-year period of 2021 (1 January–30 June), tracking the pandemic’s continuing effect on new .ie domain registrations and the counties and countries where they were registered. We also examine the broader .ie ecosystem, including the .ie domain’s market share and growth and the use of additional security features by .ie domain holders. H1 2021 is the strongest first half-year period for new .ie domain registrations on record. 33,815 new .ie domains were added to the database by 30 June, up 1.6% on the same period last year. The total .ie database now stands at 324,074, up 9.6% year-on-year. Our timeline of new .ie domain registrations from January 2020 to June 2021 shows that, like last year, registrations in H1 2021 correlated with the Government’s pandemic restrictions. In Q1 2021, for example, the period of particularly severe post- Christmas lockdown that restricted in-store shopping to essential retail, the number of new .ie domain registrations increased dramatically. In Q2, .ie domain registrations slowed as the Government permitted nearly all non-essential businesses to re-open their physical premises fully or partially. Nevertheless, new .ie domain registrations remain high. It is clear that an increasing number of SMEs recognise that digital is crucial to the survival of their business. This is evidenced by findings from our latest .IE Tipping Point report which show that 58% of consumers will prioritise online shopping over in-store in 2021. Even with the option to shop in-store, for convenience or price reasons many consumers simply prefer to buy online, or at the very least browse or research products online before buying them in-store. The pandemic has greatly accelerated the trend towards omni-channel retail, whereby the process of buying and selling a product or service integrates digital and physical platforms. Keyword analysis of new .ie domain registrations in H1 2021 shows that while domain names with explicitly Covid-related keywords, such as ‘virus’, ‘PPE’ and ‘sanitiser’ have dropped by 76%, general health-related keywords, such as ‘pharmacy’ and ‘wellness’ have increased by 18%. This suggests that healthcare practitioners, such as GPs, pharmacists and counsellors, continue to move their services online. Keywords related to the so-called ‘outdoor summer’ of 2021 have also increased. New .ie domain registrations containing words such as ‘patio’, ‘barbecue’ and ‘pool’ rose by 64% year-on-year, suggesting increased online retail of outdoor entertainment and hospitality products. This .IE Domain Profile Report also assesses the use of third-party security features by .ie domain holders. Since the ransomware attack on the HSE in May, the importance of cybersecurity to government institutions and private businesses has come into sharp focus. While use of security certificates is relatively high for .ie websites, our data shows that additional robust domain security features, such as DNS Security Extensions and Registry Lock, are used by a tiny minority of .ie domain holders. The .ie domain is still the domain of choice for Irish businesses and individuals. At 51%, it holds the highest market share of all top-level domain names, including .com at 32%. With 10.8% year-on-year growth Portugal is the fastest growing country domain in Europe. Ireland’s .ie domain is a fast follower in second place with 9.6% growth year-on-year. This is good news for the Irish economy given that new domain registrations are a forward indicator of digital intent and future e-commerce activity. David Curtin Chief Executive, .IE Contents Foreword Timeline of new .ie 1 registrations, January 2020–June 2021 Analysis of .ie domain 2 database and growth Analysis of .ie domains 3 by geography Analysis of .ie domains 4 by county Analysis of .ie domain 5 ecosystem About .IE 6