In another survey covering the rise of m-commerce, a fifth of Brits said that they expect the majority of the money they spend shopping online to be channelled through their smartphone or tablet.

The BuzzCity report revealed that 69 per cent of people now indulge in m-commerce on a regular basis, which is all the more impressive given that just three years ago, a similar study put the penetration rate of mobile shopping at just 10 per cent.

Respondents were not only asked about how regularly they use a portable device to carry out safe shopping online, but also to give the reasons that drew them towards m-commerce, as opposed to traditional desktop shopping.

18 per cent said that they enjoyed the mobile experience because it gave them access to a very wide variety of products and services which would not otherwise be available to them.

16 per cent said that m-commerce was advantageous because it made it simpler to discover products and information about retailers when they are on the move, without being left in the dark about anything.

14 per cent said that the thing which most appealed to them was the efficiency of the delivery services which are offered by modern retailers with m-commerce sites.

A second report related to mobile shopping published in the past weeks by Connexity revealed that there is likely to be a 68 per cent increase in m-commerce spending in 2016, with smartphones alone accounting for about half this amount.

This shows that people are far more comfortable with the process of getting out their mobile handsets and buying items, rather than simply using them for research. And with tablet sales likely to decline this year, smartphones are well positioned to take a strong lead.