CONSUMERS spend £2.3bn a year shopping on the internet when they get home from work, according to new research.

One third of all on-line shopping is conducted between 6pm and 9pm, the Barclaycard study shows.

A total of £44.8m is spent after the shops shut each week, compared with £89.7m during the day.

The most popular reason for shopping on the internet after work is for travel, such as train and airline tickets, holiday bookings and car hire, which account for sales of about £13.9m a week.

The next big spending area is financial services, amounting to about £13.4m a week.

Sales of CDs, books, food, drink and clothes are also significant, according to Barclaycard.

Mark Evans, managing director of Barclaycard Merchant Services, said the research demonstrated that the internet had significantly affected shopping habits.

"People with busy lives often don't have a lunch hour to go shopping or might want to make a big purchase like a holiday when they are at home with their partner.

"E-tailing gives them the flexibility to shop when they want to - even if this is at 3am in the morning."