In June consumers across the UK spent a combined total of £12.6 billion shopping online, using a range of the most popular payment card platforms to complete 156 million transactions in total, according to figures from the UK Cards Association.

Internet Retailing reports that almost a quarter of all purchases made on cards over the course of the month were executed through e-commerce sites, rather than at physical outlets. This represents a 12 per cent increase for online use, even if the average value of transactions in the digital sphere dropped to £80.64, a fall of almost £6 compared with the same period last year.

In the retail market as a whole, around eight per cent of sales were accounted for by safe shopping online, while card payments for the service sector conducted via the internet were also on the rise, up by 6.7 per cent.

Debit cards remain the most popular solution for consumers seeking to make online payments, accounting for more than two thirds of the market as a whole. The growth in the use of debit cards also outstripped credit card growth, driven in part as a result of the popularity of contactless payment technology.

Report spokesperson, Scott Underwood, said that payment cards with contactless chips in them were now widely used, allowing for a 202 per cent growth over the past year. And while the maximum amount allowable per contactless transaction crept up to £30 recently on average, payments hover around £8.60.

Underwood also said that retailers were becoming better equipped to track customers and build a picture of their shopping habits even if loyalty cards are not used either in-store or online. This data is helping companies to formulate offers and create vouchers that appeal to people.