Homewares are front runner in ‘flick-to-click’ boom

Home goods and furnishings are the fastest-growing beneficiaries of a major new home shopping trend known as “flick to click”.

According to new research by Experian, home shopping is booming thanks to the increasing number of companies that integrate catalogues with their online sales facility. The survey found that seven out of 10 consumers had shopped from home in the previous year and that, of those, 80% had found the product they wanted in a catalogue first and then ordered it online.

Home goods and furnishings have enjoyed the biggest growth from flick-to-click marketing in the past year, with sales up 509%. Men’s fashion grew 347%.

Experian says the flick-to-click phenomenon is being driven by time-poor, cash-rich consumers, 63% of whom use home shopping for convenience and 37% to access high-quality products.

It warns players in the home shopping market that telephone calls aimed at encouraging repeat purchases are disliked by almost three-quarters of consumers. Instead, home shoppers prefer to receive information on latest offers via email or mailshots.

“The days of brands using an either/or communications strategy are well and truly over,” commented Experian. “It’s critical that companies blend their online and offline capabilities to achieve long-term growth.”