An increasing number of Britons are planning to spend more money online this year, according to new research.
Figures show that 36 per cent of consumers will be ditching the high street for e-commerce in the next 12 months.
While this is good news for online businesses, it presents a worry for shops who are already faltering in the economic climate.
Around 89 per cent of respondents in a survey by Lightspeed Research and New Media Age trade magazine said they felt they could pick up better deals on the internet.
The survey of 1,957 respondents also said they appreciated the range of products available at the click of a button, as well as the convenience and ease of comparing prices, the Telegraph reports.
Commenting, Justin Pearse, editor of New Media Age, said e-commerce has been gathering pace for some time, but that until now it has limited effect on the high street.
However, he said: "Now that retail spend is being squeezed on every side this shift in consumer behaviour is going to become more pronounced and is going to have a bigger impact on the bottom line of the major retailers.
"Its widely expected that a number of big name retailers will follow the likes of Woolworths and MFI in the coming year - what these figures suggest is that we may see some of them move off the high street to become purely online businesses."
Further research by e-Marketer this week revealed consumers are set to spend more than £68.4 billion online in 2009.
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