The popularity of catalogues is fuelling an online shopping boom across the UK with consumers spending an average of £609 each on goods online this year so far, Royal Mail research revealed today.

Three-fifths (61 per cent) of UK consumers have consulted a catalogue before making online purchases and three in four shoppers (83 per cent) regularly use catalogues before buying online.

Scots lead the way in online shopping, with the average consumer spending £701 a year. The results also show that Northerners are leapfrogging Southerners in online spending with people in the North West spending an average of £627 this year so far compared to online shoppers in the South West who spent on average £549.

The boom in online spending could be attributed to the uptake in broadband in the North, with over 25 per cent of people in the North West currently connected to high-speed internet services.

The most popular online items according to the 4,000 adults surveyed are music products and downloadable tracks (71 per cent), followed by gifts (69 per cent) and electrical goods (62 per cent). The research also revealed:

o 45-54 year olds are the biggest online shoppers, spending an average of £724 every year
o 20 per cent of men have spent over £1,500 this year online compared to ten per cent of women
o Both men and women both use catalogues before shopping online fairly equally (47 per cent and 62 per cent respectively)
o Regionally, Scots spend the most online, with an annual bill of £701, mainly on gifts
o Shoppers in the West Midlands (79 per cent) always purchase from websites they have visited in the past
o Catalogue spending is highest in the North East with an average spend of £536 per year

Catherine Campbell, Head of Multi-channel Retail at Royal Mail, said: "Online retail continues to grow at a phenomenal rate and the intrinsic link between the rise in spending and the use of catalogues is only too clear. Consumers are demanding greater choice and convenience about how, where and when they buy their goods, and the marriage between online and catalogues is a thriving relationship."

Additional findings from the research revealed:
• Most people have shopped online for an average of 3.7 years
• The average expenditure on catalogue shopping over the last year is £366
• Clothing is the most popular catalogue purchase across all regions in the UK
• The highest catalogue spenders are those aged between 24-43 years old (£473) and those with children (£477)
• Consumers between 34-44 years old in the South West and London are the most frequent catalogue shoppers