Nationwide research by Flipit.com shows that 60 per cent of Australians research or shop online at during working hours.

The study of 520 Australians found that 48 per cent of Australians are comfortable having their goods delivered to the office – useful information for retailers targeting consumers with promotions and marketing.

Despite 33 per cent of respondents feeling that online shopping in company time is inappropriate, only one per cent are personally bothered when colleagues do it.

“Online shopping during office hours has become a norm for employees, and although this might not please some CEOs, it is a sign of how times have changed,” says Ashley Howe, country manager of Flipit.com.

“With more people in more demanding jobs, shopping online is an easy way for people to save time in their personal lives, and doing this during work hours means there’s no need for people to sit in front of a screen after they have finished work,” said Howe.

“It seems that almost half of online shoppers don’t care about how the boss feels about online shopping in the office, they try to do it on the sly, or assume that the boss doesn’t mind.”

Seventy five per cent of people admit they are more likely to shop online if they are bored.