Deckchair that charges your phone and scares off sea gulls rolled out on Brighton Beach

Welcome to the 21st century, oh humble deckchair

The chairs, which also feature a playful seagull deterrent, will be available to hire in August and have been rolled out after new research revealed a growing number of beachgoers are using their phones and tablets to partake in a bit of retail therapy by the sea, a trend which is being dubbed ‘b-commerce’ by retail experts.

One in six Brits say they’re going to the beach now more than they did five years ago and a fifth say they now shop on their phone or tablet at the seaside.

But not everyone is enjoying a seamless scrolling experience.

The poll of 2,000 Brits commissioned by PayPal to celebrate their new summer offer found phones overheating (43 per cent), a lack of WiFi (36 per cent) and a lack of shade (31 per cent) were among the things getting in the way of online beach shopping, while getting sand in the phone charger hole was also cited by almost one in four people (23 per cent).

To remedy some of the most commonly-cited grievances, PayPal has rolled out new 'tech-chairs' on Brighton Beach, featuring built-in WiFi, wireless charging, glare protection, and microfibre fabric to clean off sand and suncream from your phone.

And to top it off, they are also offering 3% cashback on eligible purchases on Brits’ chosen category of choice this summer when using PayPal to checkout online.

Dave Jones, Head of Consumer at PayPal UK commented: “We can see from our research that more and more people are bringing their phones to the beach, and their shopping habits too. That’s why we’ve reimagined the classic deckchair with a modern twist, making it easier to stay connected and even earn cashback while soaking up the sun.”

“And we’ve made things even easier and rewarding for our customers, by making the checkout process incredibly smooth, so that even with sandy fingers people can still shop online. What’s more, with our 3% cashback incentive, we’re also helping put money back in people’s pockets this summer.”

The research also lifted the lid on all the factors we consider when picking a perfect beach spot, with shade (48 per cent) ranking as the top factor ahead of privacy (40 per cent) and proximity to the bar (36 per cent).

When it comes to beach nostalgia, buckets, spades and sandcastles were among the items most Brits (70 per cent) associate with childhood trips to the seaside, with arcades and slot machines also featuring (52 per cent).

Striped deckchairs were cited by over four in ten Brits (41 per cent), with mini fridges containing snacks (29 per cent), solar panels for charging (21 per cent) and pop-out book holders (25 per cent) among the other creative add-ons people would like to see incorporated in the classic beach staple.