UK shoppers are becoming savvier when buying online, with voucher code use increasing by 43% in the past year, according to new research.

An independent survey of 1,000 consumers commissioned by Voucherbox.co.uk reveals that the number of people who frequently seek out discounts when making purchases online grew by almost half over a 12 month period (from 23% in 2014 to 33% in 2015).

The findings also show that those who ‘always’ use a voucher code when shopping jumped by 70%, up to 17% of all consumers, while ‘regular’ users grew 27%, representing 16% of UK shoppers.

Meanwhile, the number of people who say they have never used an online discount dropped by 15% to just over a third (35%). 8% of those surveyed didn’t know what a voucher or discount code was; a slight decrease on 2014’s figure of 10%.

A regional breakdown shows the biggest rise amongst Scottish consumers, with a 40% increase in voucher code usage over the previous year. Wales saw a 29% overall increase, followed by England (17%) and Northern Ireland (11%).

A quarter of online shoppers in the East Midlands region said they always use voucher codes, compared to none in the same category last year. Consumers in the North West seeking out codes each time they shop grew by 172%, to 23%.

“The research shows a large increase in demand for voucher codes as families look for bargains,” said Shane Forster, UK Country Manager at Voucherbox.co.uk. “Shoppers are continuing to demand more for their money from retailers and as more people require discounts to make a purchase, this will lead to healthy competition, which can only be good for UK consumers.”

Younger shoppers are most likely to look for a deal, the research found. Voucher code use has doubled since last year among consumers aged 18-24, going from a reported 32% to 63%. The number of people aged 25-34 using voucher codes jumped to 68% from 40% last year.

Online discount use declined among respondents over 65, dropping from 53% in 2014 to 47% in 2015.

Download an infographic here: http://www.voucherbox.co.uk/are-uk-shoppers-getting-savvier.