Shoppers are anticipating a good summer, if new online retail figures are anything to go by.

According to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, Britons got £4.5bn-worth of goods delivered by international couriers in March – up 15 per cent on last year’s figure.

42 per cent of shoppers bought home and garden-related purchases in March compared to February. Clothing sales increased by over a quarter (27 per cent) over the same period.

The index also showed that retailers with both a shop and an online presence were benefitting most from the worldwide shipping boom, with sales up 28 per cent year on year.