After a ‘stay home’ e-commerce boom, a quarter of British consumers (25%) say they are going to online shop less as they return to the office, new research from buy now pay smarter payment solution Openpay has found.

Convenience has been king over the last six months, with consumers expanding their loungewear collections, cooking up storms with new kitchen appliances or upgrading running shoes to beat their 5k PB. However, with offices reopening, it appears the dreaded ‘sorry we missed you’ note will again be stuffed through the door of thousands across the country – something which nearly half (46%) said they hadn’t missed during lockdown.

Compounding misery, Openpay also revealed over a third of companies (38%) have a blanket ban on personal deliveries, meaning those forced to send goods home risk rogue couriers hiding packages in bins, plant pots or tucking them under gates.

Pre-lockdown, nosy office neighbours were one of the main deterrents of workplace deliveries, with over a third (35%) of respondents not wanting their colleagues to know what they spend their money on. A similar percentage of respondents (34%) also said it was frowned upon to receive too many personal packages, showing the judging eyes of the office do influence delivery location.

Lugging goods home is also a major stumbling block, with a fifth (20%) saying navigating public transport with a package is a barrier to office deliveries. One in three (33%) said they felt awkward and embarrassed bumping into commuters and stealing seats with cumbersome parcels.

Andy Harding, UK Managing Director of Openpay, said: “Missing a delivery is always frustrating, so it’s easy to see why Brits took full advantage of being home during lockdown. With people returning to work, it is quite staggering that so many post rooms have draconian bans on personal parcels. The traditional workplace is changing now more than ever, so it’s time for offices to meet the needs of workers. Every employee is also a consumer and they require flexibility at every point of their purchase, from payment to delivery.”