When it comes to online shopping it is men, not women, who are the big spenders, research has revealed.

According to an internet shopping poll carried out on behalf of Directline.com, men are seven times more likely than women to reach for their mouse and credit cards before coughing up for goods costing up to £1,000.

The research found that a third of women had spent less than £100 and only a quarter had been prepared to part with £500 for online holidays.

Despite this somewhat hesitant approach to spending larger sums, women were found to be more confident about what they buy online, with an astonishing 85 per cent of them having never been disappointed with their purchases.

Although more extravagant, men are more switched on about the potential savings to be made by purchasing goods and services online, with more than half choosing to buy motor insurance and 36 per cent investing in travel insurance over the web.

"These figures reveal many issues when it comes to purchasing online, not least that men's trust in using the internet as a shopping channel is currently far greater than women's," said Richard Coombe, head of e-commerce at Direct Line.

"This is reflected not only in the high sums of money they are willing to part with, but by figures stating that women need greater reassurance of the brand they are buying from."