With after-work drinks cancelled and weekend brunches postponed, Brits have turned to online shopping to fill their time and give themselves something to do.
In a survey of 1,500 UK adults by price comparison site Idealo, nearly half (48%) of Brits said online shopping has made them feel happier during the COVID-19 lockdown, with almost a third (31%) admitting to making a purchase every single week.
What’s more, nearly half said they have become “obsessed” with buying things online
By Nikhil Nainan
(Reuters) – Browsing online during lockdown, Jessica Friend spotted a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses she liked, but the price tag made the 30-year-old Ohio resident think twice.
What persuaded her to click ‘buy’, Friend said, was the short-term credit offered by Afterpay, which split the $260 payment into four interest-free instalments.
Afterpay is among a handful of alternative credit firms which offer small loans, mostly to online shoppers, and make their money by charging merchants a 4%-6% commission.
These buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) firms have benefited from a shift to online shopping during the coronavirus crisis in countries including
