People travelling to and from work in the UK can get up to all sorts of things thanks to their smartphones, laptops and tablet devices. And a lot of commuters tend to use the time to shop online, according to a new report from Zapp.

Analysts estimate that each year, Brits spend up to £9.3 billion while they are commuting, equating to a national average of £36 a week for every worker.

Shoppers in the capital are happier to spend even more, with the average London commuter splashing out £44 every seven days while on the move.

Report spokesperson, Rob Harbron, said that portable gadgets are enabling people to spend more and more time on the internet, perpetuating British consumers’ love of safe shopping online.

Because commuting leaves people with a lot of free time and a growing number of public transport services offer Wi-Fi access, looking for a particular product you need and ordering it, rather than having to head to the shops later, is a real time saver for modern Brits.

Respondents to the study said that this convenience was the biggest motivating factor for them, although retailers will be pleased to hear that a lot of people are simply shopping online during their commute because it is a good way to make time fly by.

This creates something of a captive audience during morning and evening rush hours, which e-commerce sites will surely be able to benefit from in the long run.

In fact, people in the UK and elsewhere are only going to end up spending more and more time online as driverless car technology is developed and rolled out. This means that even those who have to commute by road will have their hands free to use shopping sites.