Printed catalogues drive online sales

Effective integration of offline and online marketing is driving a boom in online shopping, according to a survey by Experian.

The credit-checking agency's poll of over 1,547 British consumers found that seven out of 10 have shopped from home in the past 12 months.

Of those, 80 per cent found the product they wanted in a printed catalogue and then went online to place their order. Experian calls this new trend 'flick-to-click' shopping.

Major factors fuelling flick-to-click are time-poor, cash-rich consumers using home shopping for convenience, according to 63 per cent of respondents, and to get access to high quality goods, according to 37 per cent.

The product sector showing the biggest growth, according to Experian's Club Canvasse database, is home goods and furnishings, which grew by 509 per cent in the past year, and men's fashion, which grew 347 per cent over the same period.

For home shopping brands looking to encourage repeat purchases, follow up telephone calls are a major turn-off, said 73 per cent of consumers.

Instead, customers would far prefer to receive a monthly or quarterly email on latest offers (59 per cent), or a monthly or quarterly mailshot (60 per cent).

"It is critical that companies blend their online and offline capabilities to achieve long-term growth," said Mark Peacock, home shopping consultant at Experian Integrated Marketing.

"Our research should act as a major wake-up call for brands still thinking about using integrated marketing, simply because it works and consumers are embracing the mix of old and new media."