Retailers are banned from delivering goods on Sundays, but demand has clearly surged for orders before and after Sunday, Tesco communication official Eszter Varga told Napi Gazdaság.

Those who shop online are spending more, she added.

Customers prefer bulky goods, such as mineral water, but household items are also selling well.

Hypermarket chain Auchan is working on launching its own online retail unit later this year, Napi Gazdaság adds.

Electronic goods retailer Media Markt, which started selling over the internet two years ago, has registered double-digit growth in sales in the last two months.

The Hungarian Electronic Retail Association published figures showing that online sales rose 26% to Ft 273 billion for the whole of 2014.