Shoppers in the UK will spend £200 more when shopping online than in-store on average, new research on impulse spending suggests.
According to the Impulse Purchasing Survey, tech-savvy young professionals were most happy to part with their money, with just under one out of five 22 to 25-year-olds admitting to having spent over £1000.
The survey, conducted by art retailer Gallery Rouge, also found that of the 260 items bought through impulse spending, the fashion industry thrived most from online shopping — accounting for one third of all purchases made on impulse.
Tech and gadgets came second, accounting for 22 per cent of impulse purchases, followed by home decor at 17 per cent, holidays at 12 per cent and jewellery at seven per cent.
The average person will spend £1000 on spur-of-the-moment purchases every year, with nearly 60% of us admitting to as many as five impulse purchases per week, a staggering 260 snap purchases a year.
The survey also found that the 34 per cent of respondents would spend a maximum of £500 on impulse purchases.
However, men are more likely to spend above this, with 28 per cent saying they have made purchases over £500 compared to just five per cent of female respondents.
Half of the male respondents said tech was their most common purchase, but for women, 45 per cent said it was fashion that topped their list.
“Mobile shopping has compressed the time between thought, desire, and purchase,” trend expert Daniel Levine said.
“Think about it: You have the thought that you might want something. You can immediately look it up online, decide that you want it and click the ‘buy‘ button.”
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