Online shopping hacks: how to find what you really want | Times2

This may not be the jolliest of Christmases, but it is set to be an online one. With reports that Royal Mail will be hiring more than 30,000 workers for the festive period and delivery companies predicting a back-breaking surge in orders, ’tis not the season for a last-minute shop, or stockpile, but rather a well-planned military procedure — carried out from your sofa.

Online shoppers tend to fall into one of two camps: the fully paid-up members of all things Amazon (shame on you, but also, convenience) or those constantly irked by having to make returns at the post office. Whether “non-essential” shops remain closed or reopen, according to the research firm Bernstein the rate of growth of ecommerce is expected to triple this