AIB reveals Leitrim consumers Black Friday spending habits

AIB has revealed the spending habits of Leitrim shoppers on Black Friday and broken down exactly how and where money is being spent. 

Leitrim shoppers spend the most on electrical goods (€160) on Black Friday, which is lower than the national average (€174). The information was compiled based on anonymised and aggregated data from debit card transactions from Leitrim consumers during Black Friday 2018.

Looking at the most common consumer items bought across Black Friday in Leitrim, the data also shows;

- Jewellery – the average spend during Black Friday was €62, which was the least spent across the country compared to the national average (€65).
- Clothing – consumers average spend was €72 during Black Friday, which was higher than the national average (€65).
- Health & Beauty – during Black Friday there was an average spend of €42, which again was higher than the national average (€36).
Speaking about the data, Fergal Coburn, Chief Digital & Innovation Officer said “As Ireland’s most digitally enabled bank with over 2.4 million customers, these insights give us a real understanding as to how Leitrim consumers are spending their money. More recently we are seeing an increase in digital wallet usage, with more shoppers using Apple, Google or FitBit Pay to carry out their transactions. This year we have seen a trend in consumers using their digital wallets more as they reach for their phone over their card.”

Black Friday Spending National Trends

·         While there has been an increase in online shopping over the past number of years, the spending data reveals that brick and mortar stills wins out with 69% of us still spending in store versus 31% spending online.

·         However, there is an increase in the volume of online spending during Black Friday compared with the previous Friday. On Black Friday, online spend is up 216% and in store spending is up 46% compared with the previous week. The data also reveals that Cyber Monday seems to have caught on here in Ireland with 36% of us shopping online on that day; 5% more than Black Friday

·         How we are paying for items has dramatically changed over the past number of years. During Black Friday last year, 41% of all transactions were carried out using contactless, while 2.7% were carried out using Apple Pay and 1.1% using Google Pay.

·         When it comes to most popular shopping times during the day, in store peaks at 12pm and 4pm as shoppers are on their lunch and finish work. Interestingly, online spend peaks between 10am-12pm and decreases as the day goes on. Almost 5% (4.3%) of shopping is done online between 12am-6am as eager consumers stay up late or wake up early to grab a bargain.