Online confidence amongst UK consumers is at an all time high, according to figures from the latest quarterly Barclays Internet Index.
The research, carried out by NOP Omnibus on behalf of Barclays, shows confidence at 118.57 points in February, up from 111.35 points in November. Internet usage remained constant at 46 per cent.
The index suggests Internet users are using the Web just as much as before but are conducting more complex day-to-day tasks online, such as Web-based banking.
Simon Newman, echannels director at Barclays, notes: “The Internet’s novelty value is wearing off for some people but at the same time they are using more of the services they genuinely benefit from. A good example is online banking – customers use Internet services cautiously to start with, but as trust and confidence grow, the number of features they use increases.”
Key statistics for this quarter's index reveal:
* Internet banking has risen by seven per cent to 37 per cent, representing just under 8 million people in Great Britain who now bank online;
* 42 per cent of males as opposed to 32 per cent of women use online banking;
* people in the Midlands have seen the biggest increase in transferring money between accounts, up 23 per cent to 72 per cent; and
* southerners have shown an increase in financial services online, up 8 per cent to 23 per cent.