Clothes are the most popular type of product bought online according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics, bought by 49% of all adults.
Some 74% of adults had bought goods or services online this year, according to a snapshot of the way the internet is used in our daily lives.
Almost half had bought clothing, with 64% of 25 to 34-year-olds buying clothes online, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Internet activity has risen significantly in recent years. The ONS said that 38 million, or 76%, of British adults accessed the internet every day. This total had risen by 21 million since 2006.
Internet shopping had grown in popularity, rising from 53% of adults buying goods and services online in 2008 to 74% now, it added. Online sales are now a key sales channel of established ‘brick’ retailers such as John Lewis and Tesco.
Younger age groups have been regular users of online shopping, notably on smartphones, with nine out of 10 people aged 25 to 34 having shopped online. But the ONS has noted that people of pension age have also increased their online shopping activities.
