IE Domain Registry t/a .IE Annual Report 2021

Our .IE research and reports for 2020 and 2021 provide empirical evidence of an unprecedented mass mobilisation of digital across every part of Irish society and economy. Businesses migrated online, many for the first time, in direct response to the lockdowns. In our surveys, businesses said they realised that having an online presence, and in many cases e-commerce capabilities, would at the very least minimise the damage of reduced or non-existent footfall but also open new markets and create new ways to interact with customers. Encouragingly, new .ie registration growth was strong across the entire country, not just in urban centres. Across 2021 and 2020, it was clear that Irish businesses indicated their digital intent. Although CRO data on new company start-ups showed a fall in 2020 because of the pandemic, our data indicates that entrepreneurs and new businesses were taking a ‘digital-first’ approach and ensuring that they secured their preferred online identity with a .ie domain name, before they registered their company as a legal entity. Chart 3: New .ie domain registrations 2020 2019 2018 2017 2021 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 39,523 51,040 50,167 62,198 65,113 The story of Covid 65,113 new .ie domains were registered in 2020, the highest ever figure and an almost 30% increase on 2019. 2021 followed on with 62,198 new registrations, the second best year, with H1 2021 the strongest half- year period on record. Peaks and troughs in new .ie registrations in 2020 were broadly linked to the Government’s pandemic restrictions. As our timeline in Chart 4 on the next page shows, for the first half of 2021 a strong correlation between the course of the pandemic and new .ie domain registrations continued. Ireland began 2021 in strict lockdown; non-essential retail was closed until mid-May. As a result, there was an uptick in new .ie domain registrations in January, February and March, a visible indication of the mass movement of SMEs, including hospitality businesses, online. A website ensures that a business can continue to communicate with and sell to its customers and clients, even if its physical premises are closed. However, despite the difficult start, 2021 was not 2020. Indeed, by late summer and early autumn, strong vaccination rates and easing of restrictions seemed for the first time to break the previously strong connection between the introduction or relaxation of pandemic restrictions and the rate of new .ie domain registrations. This tentative decoupling suggests two things. First, the Irish economy, for the most part, exited the ‘acute response’ phase of the pandemic. As a result, businesses factored-in the uncertainty of restrictions and reduced trading ability to their commercial operations and planning. Second, SMEs were no longer simply ‘reacting’ to the pandemic. Instead, with changing consumer behaviours, SMEs were changing with them. Businesses were investing in new websites, integrating e-commerce technology, and making use of productivity-enhancing tools all year round. In 2022, following a surge in registrations during the pandemic and government-imposed restrictions, a slowing down in the rate of new .ie registrations signalled a return to normal growth levels seen pre- pandemic. IE Domain Registry CLG t/a .IE / Annual Report & Review 2021 24 Growth and expansion of the .ie namespace During the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, over 127,300 new .ie domains were registered. These new registrations reflected the impact of Covid-19, which acted as a digital accelerant for businesses. Business and Market Review +24% v 2019