Retail industry experts are beginning to recognise that the rise of safe shopping online is coinciding with a change in consumer habits fuelled by other modern pastimes. A combination of always-open e-commerce sites and the popularity of binge watching TV shows via streaming services is creating a late night economy in which peak sales occur at 10pm, according to the Sun.

A third of consumers in the UK said that they now spend more money online than they did half a decade ago, with women finding the draw of e-commerce even stronger than men.

Clothing tends to be the most popular product category for late night spending sprees, ahead of gifts for other people in second place.

The third most popular after dark shopping category is groceries, with people organising their weekly food shop to be delivered when they have some free time before bed.

Almost a quarter of people said that they fire up their laptops or launch their smartphone’s web browsers in order to shop for holidays and air travel between 9pm and 5am. And the people who tend to carry out safe shopping online during this period are also more likely to spend a lot longer on e-commerce sites each week than consumers who are less in tune with such habits.

The so-called ‘vampire economy’ has been stimulated further by the fact that a broader range of express delivery options are available. As well as being able to arrange for items to arrive the next day, services like Prime Now from Amazon have made it possible for same day delivery to be on tap for impatient shoppers.

This trend may not be all that good for people who are shopping when they should really be getting some sleep, but it does mean that consumers can squeeze more into their days without having to head to bricks and mortar outlets.