Online spending is up almost a sixth as high streets are emptying, according to new market research.

In the first half of 2016, the Thuiswinkel.org market monitor reports, Dutch online spending grew 17% to just over €9.5 billion.  The study, conducted by GfK, showed that more than half was on goods like telephones, electronics and clothes and the rest was on services.

Gino Thuik, industry lead on fashion and lifestyle at research firm GfK, said spending on clothes and shoes increased sharply. ‘This is largely due to recent bankruptcies of several large retailers on the high street,’ he said in a press release. ‘The online channel profits from this drop in physical stores, and this effect is most clearly reflected in areas such as IT and fashion.’

Silver surfers are also spending more, with 58% of over-65s buying something online in the first half of this year – although the study suggests they are still wary of using their smartphones for purchases.