The death of the High Street has been greatly exaggerated, with 45 per cent of UK consumers citing it as their main shopping channel, according to new research from BookingBug.

The research polled 1,000 UK consumers regarding their shopping habits and preferences, finding that 95 per cent of customer journeys still happen across multiple channels. Seven in 10 respondents admitted to browsing for products online before buying them in store, while 44 per cent found that stores gave them the best sense of a company they are buying from. This is compared to just15 per cent for online.

Around 35 per cent of consumers increased their online spend in the past year, but three quarters expect it to remain the same over the course of the next 12 months.

A quarter of respondents had never tried Click and Collect, while 45 per cent of consumers claimed to ‘sometimes or often’ use the service, with electricals being the most popular category.

Glenn Shoosmith, CEO of BookingBug, said: “People have been writing about online shopping nibbling away at the revenues of offline retailers for years. Yet, as any retailer worth their salt understands, the two channels aren’t exclusive. In fact more and more often shoppers are switching between the two.

“It is clear these physical locations played a key role in helping customers understand a brand’s identity, as well as providing key information about products and services.”

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