Domains Registered in Ireland are on the Increase

Domains Registered in Ireland are on the Increase

More than 220,000 .ie domains now registered in Ireland

New figures released today by the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) show that:

  • 34,615 .ie domains were registered in 2016 alone, the second best year for registrations since 2011
  • 72% of all new registrations are businesses
  • Leinster account for 67% of all new .ie registrations in 2016
  • Many SMEs are still not investing in e-commerce, despite the growing value of the digital 

The findings were revealed in the latest edition of the IEDR's dot ie Domain Profile Report, which examines the makeup of the .ie domain database.

Commenting on the latest report, David Curtin, Chief Executive of IEDR, said: 

“2016 was one of the best years for the .ie domain in the last five years. More than 90 domains were registered every day, and the majority of registrations were by businesses.

“This indicates that many companies and sole traders understand the importance of having a website and value of .ie’s ‘Identifiably Irish’ brand, which helps to tell the world that they are Irish.
“However, some Irish SMEs do not fully appreciate a website’s power to transform their business, particularly in terms of opening up new revenue streams and growing customer bases through e-commerce. Our most recent dot ie Digital Health Index discovered that just 28% of Irish SMEs can process payments online, while two-thirds of offline SMEs believe there is ‘no need’ to have a website in their industry—despite the fact that Ireland’s share of the digital marketplace is worth over €9 billion per annum and growing.

...A slow uptake of e-commerce is linked to a number of factors, including the quality and indeed availability of broadband infrastructure in rural areas. This remains an insurmountable barrier for many SMEs located outside the big cities and major towns.  On a positive note, ongoing e-commerce mentoring from business associations and government is beginning to help rural SMEs attempts to trade online and improve their digital skills.

...The Irish internet industry, business groups and leaders, and government representatives must continue to work together to make sure that the benefits of e-commerce and the wider digital economy are enjoyed equally across the country.”


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