Credit vetting agency Experian has found that eight out of 10 people are browsing hard-copy catalogues before they go online to reserve their purchases.
Experian's poll of more than 1,500 British consumers found that seven out of 10 have shopped from home in the past year. Of those, 80% found the product they wanted in a catalogue and then went online to order it.
Major factors fuelling "flick to click" behaviour are time-poor, cash-rich consumers using online shopping for convenience (63%) and to get access to high quality goods (37%), Experian said.
The most active markets in the past year were home goods and furnishings, which quintupled, and men's fashion, which more than trebled.
Experian warned that follow-up calls to encourage repeat purchases turn off 73% of consumers. They prefer a monthly or quarterly e-mail (59%) or hard copy (60%) on the brand's latest offers.
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