The rise of safe shopping online has, in part, been spurred on because people can make purchases at any time of the day or night and are not restricted to the normal opening hours of high street stores.

Because of this, plenty of people across the UK choose to relax with a tablet or laptop on the sofa after work, browse the web for bargains and perhaps place an order. And perhaps unsurprisingly, this activity is often accompanied by an alcoholic beverage to help shoppers unwind after a busy day in the office.

This trend for post-work e-commerce activity mixed with drinking is so prevalent that in a recent interview with the Times, Net-a-Porter spokesperson, Alison Loehnis, said that weekday evenings were the periods during which her site saw the biggest spike in traffic and sales. She even referred to ‘wine o’clock’ as being a term that defines this time of day and also determines the mood of consumers who are carrying out safe shopping online, while mildly under the influence of alcohol.

The rise of smartphone technology means that it is not just people relaxing in front of the TV who are doing online shopping in the evenings, but also those who are out and about. And Loehnis said that people tend not to buy practical items of clothing at this time of day, but instead opt for products which they might not normally choose.

Other industry experts have described the uninhibited approach to shopping that wine o’clock engenders as being one which encourages people to treat themselves to small luxuries that would otherwise be denied, were they in a sober state of mind. And while there are, inevitably, regrettable purchases made as a result of alcohol, reputable retailers offer comprehensive returns policies to stem buyers’ remorse the next day.