E-commerce for Irish small businesses splits cleanly into three groups: businesses where it's the whole game (everything's online), businesses where it's a profitable side-channel (most retail), and businesses where the e-commerce push is wishful thinking. Knowing which group you're in saves a lot of money.
Platform options
- Shopify — the default. Works out of the box. Strong Irish integrations. Subscription cost adds up; transaction fees are real.
- WooCommerce (WordPress) — flexible. Cheaper at scale. Requires a developer to keep secure; the "free" framing hides real costs.
- BigCommerce, Squarespace Commerce, Wix Stores — workable for small product catalogues. Lower ceiling.
- Custom — only if the business model needs it. Bespoke catalog logic, complex pricing rules, integration with proprietary back-office systems.
Payment options for Irish merchants
- Stripe — the cleanest path for online card payments. 1.4% + €0.25 for European cards; 2.5% + €0.25 for international. Standard in Ireland.
- PayPal — declining but still expected. Pricier than Stripe; familiar to older buyers.
- Revolut Business — competitive pricing; growing acceptance.
- AIB Merchant Services, Bank of Ireland Payment Acceptance — the bank-led options. Worth quoting if you have a bank relationship; rarely cheaper than Stripe.
- Klarna, Clearpay, Afterpay — buy-now-pay-later. Increases conversion in some categories (apparel, homewares); fees of 3–6% per transaction.
Always offer Stripe (cards) plus PayPal at minimum. Apple Pay and Google Pay should auto-enable through Stripe.
The Trading Online Voucher (TOV) and the eTOV successor
The €2,500 TOV grant is the most common funding path for Irish SMBs adding e-commerce. Administered by Local Enterprise Offices; 50/50 split (the LEO covers €2,500, the business covers the matching €2,500). Eligibility: registered business, fewer than 10 employees, turnover under €2 million, in business at least 6 months. The eTOV successor scheme expanded the funding cap and broadened eligible activities.
Read the full grant guides:
Shipping and tax — the parts everyone forgets
- Shipping zones. Set zones for Ireland, UK, EU, ROW. Different rates for each. Don't offer "free worldwide shipping" until you've done the maths.
- Post-Brexit UK shipping. Customs declarations, duty thresholds, and IOSS for low-value parcels. Significantly more complicated than pre-2021.
- VAT. Charge Irish VAT (typically 23%) on Irish sales. EU OSS scheme covers cross-border EU sales. UK VAT registration may be required for high UK sales volumes.
- Returns logistics. The hidden cost. Free returns increase conversion but eat margin; clear "returns at customer's expense" reduces conversion but protects margin.
Common cost traps
- Apps that creep. "We need this Shopify app." Six apps later, you're paying €200/month before you sell anything.
- Theme abandonment. A premium theme works for two years; the developer disappears; you can't update.
- Free shipping promises that lose money. Always model the shipping cost into the price.
- Photography you didn't budget for. Product photography is half the perceived quality of an e-commerce site. Budget €30–€100 per product photographed properly.