The world's first ever secure online transaction apparently happened 20 years ago today. On August 11th 1994, someone bought a Sting CD in America for $12.48 - a purchase which many believe to have been the first of its kind and a major landmark in the development of online shopping as we know it today.
Research from Shop Direct shows 95% of people in the UK now shop online, with one in four doing so at least once a week.
The research shows that while 12% of people had shopped online by the start of the 21st century, on average it wasn't until 2005 that many British buyers made their first online purchase.
Books are the most popular products to buy online, with 64% of respondents having purchased them through e-commerce sites, followed by clothing and accessories at 60%. However, fashion items are now the most likely last purchase for online shoppers.
Laptops and PCs remain most popular for internet shopping, despite one in five now using tablets for purchases and one in ten using their phones. One in twenty respondents said they shop during their morning commute.
