CORK is one of the top counties for shopping online, new data has found. The Rebel County ranks highly for e-commerce with around 19% of all retail spending via the internet.

New data from Visa found Cork is placed alongside Dublin and Clare as one of the country’s leading online shopping regions.

Nationally, the research also found that more than 80% of online retail spending takes place from Monday to Friday.

Thursday is Ireland’s busiest day for online shopping. One-third of fashion spending takes place over the weekend, with online fashion shopping peaking on Sunday evenings. Saturday remains the busiest day for in-store grocery shopping.

However even as online shopping continues to grow, Irish consumers still value the in-store experience, especially when it comes to weekend browsing and spending.

Grocery shopping shows one of the clearest divisions between online and in-store behaviour.

Online grocery spending peaks during the latter half of the working week, particularly on Thursdays and Fridays, while in-store grocery shopping is most popular on Saturdays.

For electronics, online purchases are most common during weekdays, with consumers most active on Friday mornings between 10 and 11am.

Jean McCabe, CEO, Retail Excellence Ireland, said: ‘This latest data highlights how shoppers are seamlessly blending online convenience with in-store experiences. Card payments play a critical role in enabling this flexibility - helping retailers of all sizes deliver secure, seamless transactions and meet customers wherever and whenever they choose to shop.’

The data highlights notable regional differences in retail spending behaviour across Ireland. Consumers in Dublin, Kildare and Meath are the most weekend-focused shoppers, with around 31% of total spending taking place on Saturdays and Sundays.