Surviving pure-play online retailers have easily beaten their UK High Street rivals, according to the Consumers' Association. They are also tipped to yield returns soon, a separate report from researcher IDC has predicted.

A survey of 4,000 readers published in Which? reported that, for customer service and delivery of books, CDs and computer equipment, internet retailers far outstripped the ecommerce operations of High Street shops.

Amazon topped the table in four categories, and reported that 69 per cent and 77 per cent of consumers respectively were 'very satisfied' with customer service and delivery.

The websites of major High Street names performed badly in the survey. Dixons, PC World and WH Smith scored poorly for both customer service and delivery. Only 16 per cent of customers at Dixons' website were 'very satisfied' with its customer service.

"If you're looking for a stress-free online shopping experience, opt for one of the online-only retailers," said Tessa Russell, senior researcher at Computing Which?. "You're likely to find more stock and will often enjoy higher levels of customer service and delivery. Major High Street names such as Dixons and PC World are clearly letting their customers down."

Separate research from IDC suggests that investors tired of being out of pocket after dotcom losses will soon begin to see a return on their remaining online investments.

"The good news is that investors will start to experience returns from surviving startups in the coming year," said John Ferrier, senior analyst at IDC.