Worldwide shipping firms ought to be encouraged by new figures that show Brits are spending more than ever online.

A third of shoppers have increased the amount they spend online over the last year, according to new research from eCommera.

The average shopper in the UK now spends £71 a month on the internet, the survey of 2,000 consumers found, while more than four in ten (42.6 per cent) buy something online at least once a week.

For over half (51 per cent), the convenience of having a worldwide shipping firm send a parcel delivery direct to their door was seen as a prime reason for opting for the web over trudging around high street shops.

More than two-thirds (71 per cent) said they buy from a retailer if recommended by a friend, while just under half (46 per cent) would buy from a brand that they knew well from the high street.

The news comes as Barclaycard reports that spending on plastic on the UK was nearly ten per cent higher in July than the same month last year.