A study commissioned by John Lewis has found that people who love safe shopping online are not opposed to accessing retail sites in the early hours of the morning, well outside of normal opening times for traditional high street outlets.

BBC News reports that the number of sales recorded between 12am and 6am on an average night rose by a quarter last year compared with the previous 12-month period, suggesting that Brits are becoming ever more interested in splashing out while the rest of the country is asleep.

Study spokesperson Chris Field explained that part of the reason behind this rise was the widespread ownership of smartphones and the dramatic improvements seen in the mobile shopping experience, meaning that younger people are able to get their fill of e-commerce even when they are lying in bed.

From fashion items to electronics, there seems to be a general upwards trend in late-night online shopping habits across all categories. Indeed, Currys PC World revealed that 10pm to 3am was a period that had seen a significant uptick in activity of 10 per cent in recent months, with video games, enthusiast gadgets and related hardware winning over night owl consumers.

As well as a technological influence being pinpointed, industry experts are eager to point out that this trend is also a symptom of modern life for many people. There is not enough time to visit shops during daylight hours, meaning that consumers tend to prefer carrying out online shopping when they can fit it in later in the evening.

The flexibility of online shopping has certainly helped catalyse this further, creating a perfect storm of technology that is filling a need that has been demonstrated over the years but has only just managed to be met by available services.