.IE Tipping Point Report 2022

Is your website important in…? 82% Generating business awareness 77% Driving future sales growth 72% Generating sales 55% Capturing and processing sales 2021 85% 2021 72% 2021 66% 2021 51% Base: 378, SMEs with a website Positive results from online investment? 30% Yes, busier than before pandemic 36% Yes, same level of business as before pandemic 12% Yes, although still struggling 3% No difference 19% Unsure 2021 2020 28% 21% 2021 2020 50% 25% 2021 2020 13% 19% 2021 2020 9% 16% 2021 2020 0% 19% Base: 203, SMEs that have invested since Covid Responsiveness and resilience To function properly and meet changing consumer needs, websites require regular updating. This is not always straightforward. More than half (55%) of SMEs with an online presence said they had experienced some difficulties maintaining it over the past year, up from just 24% in 2021. 22% said they had struggled to manage customer enquiries and feedback, 20% had difficulty processing customer orders, and 18% had found it challenging managing the availability of stock online. Considering the factors that caused these difficulties, 64% said that a lack of staff was the main cause, followed by a lack of money (42%). As the Irish economy enters its post-Covid recovery phase, external factors, including a squeeze on labour supply and inflationary pressure on stock, facilities, and energy, will continue to create barriers to better digital business. However, competition with international retailers will continue irrespective of these conditions. Where possible, struggling Irish SMEs should consider availing of government or industry supports, such as the Trading Online Voucher scheme or e-learning courses via Digital Business Ireland. The Covid SME [continued] 43% of SMEs believe that Irish consumers prefer to shop with Irish businesses. However, consumers estimate that 55% of their online spend has gone towards Irish businesses since Covid. Base : 502 SMEs .IE Tipping Point 2022: Irish e-commerce and digital business in the post-Covid era | 11 Base: 222, SMEs that experienced difficulties maintaining online presence 40% said Covid-related factors have made maintaining their online presence difficult over the past year. 14% said Brexit-related factors had an impact.