To say that the Irish love the Brits is a tricky proposition, not least politically, but it turns out to be true in the sphere of ecommerce. That’s according to Allies, who have been looking at Eircode, the Irish post code system.
It’s strange to think that it’s only a few years since the Republic of Ireland introduced its post code system. And the little study about it is interesting.
Eircode is a national postcode system that was introduced into Ireland in 2015. It means that every residence in the country now has a unique 7-character code. And considering that there are up to 600,000 addresses in Ireland that are non-unique that’s pretty useful. Previously, such addresses have been a challenge to logistics companies. The survey shows that only 70% of online shoppers in Ireland know their Eircode and 40% use it regularly.
Allies CEO Dan Cooper says “Eircode is more than just an Irish concern. Online retailers – both UK and Irish ones – need to be ready to capture Eircodes as part of their checkout process. Doing so is likely to appeal to potential customers and also result in fewer delivery issues and subsequent returns.”
One interesting facet of their study, which you can find here, is that Irish online shoppers are very happy to buy from the UK and 83% do so it pays to be aware of Eircode.
One Response
definitely an improvement over the old system, many times have we received an order from an Irish customer with the full address being
The Old House
Halfway Down The Lane
Near Glenmaddy
or
The Lawyers
Main Street
Cork.
when explaining that address is not sufficient to send an international parcel, they reply with “ach its fine the postman knows me”
– that’s nice, but it’s not the postman who’ll be delivering it, we need an actual address which someone unfamiliar with your area can use to locate you.
“oh okay, well if you just turn left at paddy’s house….”
i mean it’s all charming and colloquial, but effing useless for facilitating a parcel delivery. give me a postcode instead if you want it to arrive.