BT consumer survey finds Irish spending down

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Recent research into Irish consumer behaviour by BT has found that 70% of people have started looking more closely at their spending and 73% believe they can make savings. BT says it seems “staying in is the new going out” for the Irish, as 16% and 18% of punters aim to cut back on going to the pub and eating in restaurants, respectively.

The survey revealed that 19% cite rising fuel costs as the biggest reason for scaling down spending, although inflation was also listed as a top concern (48% of people in Waterford, 25% in Dublin and 20% in Cork). Similarly, respondents gave a variety of areas targeted for cutbacks, with 29% looking closely at household bills, 12% saying they will reduce calls from mobile phones, and 21% claiming they will start shopping in Lidl or Aldi.

Take-away coffee is set to take a dip in sales, according to BT’s research, especially in Mayo and Portlaoise where 36% say they will cut it out altogether. Likewise, 25% of Corkonians poled claimed they too will be giving the local coffee shop a miss. In general, 13% said they plan to buy fewer takeaways or ready meals, and 10% claim they intend to take their own lunch to work.
However, it is unclear how these attitudes will translate in real terms, especially when 45% surveyed said they were looking for value, not just price, and 35% claimed they find shopping around “confusing”.

Furthermore, 43% of Cork people, and 38% of Galway respondents, say they are happy with their current level of spending, with similar substantial numbers in Limerick, Waterford and Dublin stating that they have not yet started to examine where and how they spend their money.

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