As we raise a toast to the festive season this year, some of us may still be counting our blessings amidst the ongoing effects of the global credit crunch. But while most people now admit that they having to tighten their belts when it comes to their Christmas gift budgets, the number of people buying presents online has actually soared and continues to increase by around 10% a year.

And why not? With more goodies than ever just a click away, we've certainly got more and more reason to do so. Part of our increasing reliance on the mouse is down to the older generation becoming more computer literate, while at the same time more retailers take the plunge and decide to offer their wares online. This is something they need to take seriously, considering around 20% of people in the UK are now buying over half of their gifts over the internet, spending an average of £1600 a year. This adds up to around 20p out of every pound being spent online.

So has Christmas shopping on the high street fallen out of favour? Well some would certainly dispute that claim, declaring it a national obsession. But there's certainly something tempting about swapping the crowds and the cold December rain for a cosy afternoon by the fire with your laptop. The internet places in front of us a far wider selection of items than we would ever be able to see in the same amount of time in our local town centre. By using price comparison services, you can display dozens of similar items on one page to source the most competitive deals and with product reviews close to hand, you even have your own personal shopping advisory service.

Cheaper online deals are not the only incentive to get people clicking for those bargains as the festive season gets underway. Shoppers also love to benefit from the level of convenience it provides and with many retailers now offering gift wrap services, there are plenty of reasons to take advantage and simply have your gift sent direct to the recipient. With the increase in online communications via email, instant messaging and social networking, it's now easier than ever to send wish lists to your friends and family, even providing them with web links so they know exactly which website to purchase the gift from and this has only encouraged sales even further. As for the cyberphobic with little experience of online purchasing, most retail websites now feature reliable encryption facilities, ensuring that transactions are completely secure, so people feel more confident in handing over their personal and credit card details.

Whatever the future holds for the retailers, there's no doubt we'll continue to get hooked to online shopping, even if it's only window shopping to get an idea of what's out there, what's hot and what's not, before venturing out into the real world. To wrap up with a little interesting food for thought, in 2007 on Christmas Day, 4 million people in the UK went online and spent a total of £84 million, probably disappointed after failing to receive the presents they were hoping for!