A nation of subscribers – from films & music to socks & pills

New figures released today reveal that the average UK adult is subscribed to at least two online services covering everything from film and music to socks and pills.

The data shows that an estimated 28 million adults – 62 per cent of the adult population – are online subscribers with an average of £12.10 spent on online subscription services including film, TV, music, socks, scarves and razors.

One of the biggest spikes in online subscriptions is in the healthcare industry, with almost one in 12 adults subscribing to prescriptions and private healthcare services online. Pharmacy2U, which manages and delivers NHS repeat prescriptions to users’ homes for free, has seen a 212 per cent increase in sign-ups over the last year with over 300,000 people now using the service.

An analysis of the UK’s subscription economy revealed that more people use Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and NOW TV now than traditional TV – a shift noted for the first time in 2018. Online data storage services are also growing dramatically, with over seven million people using Google Drive or Dropbox alone according to the analysis.

Almost a third of those surveyed (31 per cent) cited the convenience of online prescriptions versus the hassle of physical purchases and collection as a key driver of subscribing to online services. More than a quarter (29 per cent) say they saved money by going online.