According to findings from Experian’s annual survey, over a third (36.8%) of people said that they spent more in the last 12 months than they had the year before on home shopping items. One in five (20.1%) consumers said that they have spent between £500 and £1,000 on home shopping goods and 10.2% spent more than £1,000 in the last year.

The home shopping pound has been spent largely in the top five categories, Music and books (60.2%), Men, women and children’s clothing (54.6%), Giftware (37.2%), House and home items (34.9%) and Health and beauty (24.1%)

Overall, almost two thirds (63%) of the adults taking part in Experian’s survey believe that home shopping is less expensive than the high street. Furthermore, more than eight out of ten (85.2%) consumers stated that home shopping is ‘more convenient’ than visiting the high street. In fact, Experian’s survey highlights that only 5% of those adults polled prefer in-store browsing to flicking through catalogues or browsing online for items.

Over a third of respondents stated that they have made purchases from five or more catalogues in the last 12 months. This indicates an increased level of competition in the home shopping sector,

Experian’s research also indicates a strong inclination towards disloyalty in the home shopping sector. This may be due to the absence of the human interaction that comes with bricks and mortar retailing. Consumers will apparently turn their back on a company if it fails to meet the standards they expect. According to findings from Experian’s survey, customers will withdraw their allegiance if they receive poor customer service (80%), if prices are too high (77%), if the delivery service is poor (76%), if postage and packing is expensive (70%) or if there is a decline in the quality of goods (63%).

Experian’s consumer research service, Canvasse Opinion, polled the views of 1,030 UK adults to determine the UK’s home shopping landscape.