As uncertainty and confusion surrounding the ongoing national lockdown persist, a new survey conducted by money.co.uk suggests that people are taking advantage of safe shopping online in order to buy goods that are far from essential, given the circumstances.

Interest in DIY and furniture has risen by 34 per cent in the past month, with shoppers choosing to spruce up their homes as they try to find ways to fill their time in lockdown.

29 per cent said that they were buying fashion products and beauty items to be delivered to their homes, with experts pointing out that these are considered to be non-essential at the moment and thus could be seen as putting unnecessary strain on an already overburdened distribution and delivery infrastructure.

A quarter of people who placed online orders recently said that they had snapped up tech-related products, including games consoles, in order to stave off boredom while stuck at home. 20 per cent said that they had turned to printed media for solace at this time, ordering books to give their minds a distraction from the grim news pervading the media at the moment.

People living in the capital were more likely than those in other parts of the country to have ordered a non-essential item during the lockdown, while residents of the Midlands were amongst the most frugal in their use of online shopping.

86 per cent said that they thought the nation’s economy would fall into recession at the very least, with an outright depression also being cited as likely by many. A lack of confidence in the job market and the overall security of existing positions held by millions of people is also pervasive at the moment, meaning that even those who are willing to spend are doing so at lower levels than might otherwise be the case.