A new survey has found that 43 per cent of Christmas Day shoppers used a mobile device to buy goods online.
According to data compiled by RichRelevance, more than a quarter of online shopping trips were made through a mobile device during December.
The survey, which looked at the online behaviour of 139 million shoppers using some of the UK's largest retail websites, found gadgets such as smartphones and tablet computers made by Apple were the most popular devices used for shopping. It claimed 79 per cent of purchases made during the month were through Apple's iOS products such as the iPad and iPhone.
Despite consumers feeling the pressure of costly utility bills and the effects of inflation, they still managed to make Boxing Day 2011 the busiest day for online shopping in the UK on record.
Darren Hitchcock, RichRelevance's vice-president for the UK and Europe, said: "M-commerce is rapidly becoming a top priority for the retail industry as customers look to connect with retailers anytime, anywhere. This is evidenced by the fact that mobile devices accounted for more than a quarter of online shopping and nearly one pound in 10 spent this Christmas."