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Experian polled more than 1,500 British consumers and found that seven out of 10 have shopped from home in the last year, of whom 80% found the product in a catalogue and went online to place the order.

Consumers cited "convenience" as a major factor behind this lifestyle choice, with "access to high quality goods" also declared as a crucial aspect.

However, consumers warned that follow-up telephone calls are not acceptable, with 73% calling this communication a major turn-off. A monthly or quarterly email or posted newsletter would be more welcome, and 60% would be happy to receive it.

Mark Peacock, home shopping consultant at Experian Integrated Marketing, believes the trend has been triggered by brands integrating their offline catalogue marketing campaigns with their online sales capabilities.

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