Significant growth of online retail over the last three years has prompted research into UK online shopping habits.

OnBuy, the online marketplace, asked 1,550 people about their online shopping routines. By analysing the individual responses, OnBuy could identify the most common online shopping habits for each region of the UK.

The respondents were asked two main questions, and could give multiple responses for each. The answers to question one – ‘Where do you usually shop online from?’ – showed that the majority of UK respondents shop online while watching TV (54%) or when in bed (43%), while 20% shop at work and 17% shop in the kitchen.

When asked ‘What is the reason behind your purchase?’, 77% of respondents indicated that they simply needed the item, while 38% had been tempted by a sale offer. Gift purchases made up just 15% of online shopping, while feeling depressed (6%), breaking up with someone (5%) and being drunk (4%) were also given as reasons.

OnBuy also sought to find out how much time and money Brits spend shopping online. When asked the average length of time they spend online in a single shopping session, 22% of people said less than 15 minutes, while nearly half of respondents (47%) said they spend up to 30 minutes online. Spending between 30 minutes and 60 minutes on a shopping session was common for 27% of respondents, and only 7% would spend more than 60 minutes shopping online.

The survey also revealed that 32% of respondents spend less than £20 per week on online shopping; significantly lower than anticipated. The majority (43%) of the respondents spend between £20 to £50, while 22% admitted to spending between £50-£100 on items in a single week. 5% of Brits spend between £100 and £150 weekly, while 1% spend more than £150 online a week.