Shopper are turning to the Internet for bargains as they try to beat the credit crunch. In the U.K. shoppers spend a record £14.7 billion over the web last year - up 35 per cent, or nearly ten times the rate of growth of the total retail market.

The number of people who bought goods online also increased by 24.7 per cent to 22.6 million, research shows. Shoppers are also spending over the internet  more regularly - an average of 16.9 times last year, up from 14.2 times in comparison to 2006. Cheaper broadband and better availability of the service also led to the increases, according to analysts Verdict Research. (Source:  London Metro, June 3, 2008)