55 per cent of British consumers now shop online more frequently than they make visits to bricks and mortar stores, according to a new survey from EmpathyBroker.

Internet Retailing reports that this represents a significant rise in the popularity of e-commerce over the past 12 months, with average shoppers now making at least six web-based purchases every 30 days.

Men are slightly more addicted to safe shopping online than women, with 27 per cent of the male respondents admitting to weekly stints of e-commerce. This falls to 25 per cent when focusing on female purchasers.

65 per cent said that they enjoy the simple act of browsing a shopping site, even if they do not end up making a purchase or have no intention of buying in the first place.

33 per cent said that they used the internet to look out for products and trends that would help to inspire their next order, which makes sense given that two fifths admitted that impulse buys were more likely to occur online than in-store.

Pricing of products trumps all other factors when determining whether a given e-commerce site is appealing to consumers. A close second place in the ranking is that of free delivery which is clearly an influencing factor for most people when buying online.

Report spokesperson Angel Maldonado said that in spite of the growth in online shopping that has already been seen in 2018, there is still evidence that retailers could do a lot more to court customers and increase the frequency with which they make purchases.

Maldonado argues that ensuring that sites are simple to use as well as memorable can make the difference between allowing a shopper to slip through the net and securing a sale.