Ordering things online can be a lottery. You can’t touch, smell or taste the product you’re buying, so it’s hard to know whether you’ll actually want it when it arrives. But we keep clicking anyway because it’s more convenient than trudging to the shops and things are often cheaper.

For me, another reason to order online is the dash of childlike joy it brings to my to life when I click ‘buy’ and instantly set up a future treat. In fact, it’s even better than childhood because now I can have a parcel to open any day I want, not just on birthdays and Christmas.

But most of all, I shop online because I love tracking my parcel. Anytime I like, I can check in and see where my purchase is in the delivery process. And strange as it may sound, I get a thrill when I find out it’s being packed, a fresh dopamine spike when I see the magic word ‘dispatched’, and then I’m gripped by following its journey across the country, countries or continents towards me. Sometimes I can track the package to within an inch of its life, even knowing which........

© The Spectator