With rates of £15 a month for the average broadband connection, consumers can save £27 a month on their shopping budget, since shopping online saves them £42 a month, according to uSwitch calculations.

And the cost of annual broadband connection is paid off in just four months – so that even if other online resources, including information, downloads and social networking were excluded, getting broadband would be financially viable just for the retail savings.

Online sales hit £3.7 billion in the four weeks leading up to Christmas, uSwitch reports, predicting that online shopping will account for 15 per cent of total consumer spending by the end of 2007.

“The internet makes it easy to shop around at maybe 40 or 50 different stores in one go to make sure that we are getting the best deals,” commented Steve Weller, uSwitch’s head of communication services.

Although groceries are only marginally cheaper, major savings of up to 21 per cent are available on services such as energy, credit cards or a broadband connection itself when purchased online.

To compare broadband tariffs, click here.

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