The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) have today called on retailers to have a greater online presence to maximise sales.
The Association made this suggestion after the release of the CSO retail sales figures for January today.
The ISME claim the main issues facing retailers are very low margins, negative cross border trade, currency fluctuations, lack of online presence and excessive business costs such as insurance, rates and development charges.
Speaking today, ISME CEO, Neil McDonnell said, "2017 is presenting challenges for retailers, with many consumers taking advantage of the drop in sterling. To mitigate this, we urge retailers to have a greater online presence. According to Visa's Irish Consumer Spending Index, e-commerce spending increased annually by +15.4% in December, while Face-to-Face spending decreased by 0.3%"
Source: www.businessworld.ie
