People in the UK are increasing the regularity with which they use voucher codes to get discounts when carrying out safe shopping online, according to a new report.

The survey, carried out independently but commissioned by Voucherbox, revealed that about a third of people now regularly turn to discount codes when they want to make an e-commerce purchase, which is up from 23 per cent in the same study conducted last year.

This represents a 43 per cent annual growth in the industry, with 17 per cent of the consumers questioned in the study confirming that they will use vouchers for every single purchase made, if possible.

Just 35 per cent said that they have never used a voucher when carrying out safe shopping online, while less than a tenth of respondents said that they had never heard of this type of e-commerce offer before.

Online shopping is already seen as the more affordable alternative to the high street, since retailers which do not have to operate physical stores can make savings and pass these on to consumers.

Meanwhile, the competitive nature of the e-commerce market means that retailers have an incentive to keep prices low, with the rise of the voucher code being just one of the ways in which more online shopping is being encouraged.

There have always been offers and discounts available in the retail market, but the internet gives consumers more choice than ever, as well as a better chance of being able to make a saving.

There are even entire sites dedicated to helping people find voucher codes so that they can access offers which they might otherwise miss.

As discount code use continues to grow, it may well have a lasting effect on consumer expectations of the e-commerce experience.