British consumers are dissatisfied with the levels of customer care and advice offered by online retailers, with more than a third claiming that these factors prevent them from spending more online.

According to the research conducted by YouGov for online merchandising solutions provider Avail Intelligence, 35 per cent of Britons would spend more online if offered better customer care or advice.

The firm said that its research indicates that retailers are missing out on valuable sales where they do not provide this service.

The research also shows that one in three still prefers shopping on the high street, with access to advice and support being the most popular reasons cited.

However, 51 per cent of respondents said the range of products stocked by retailers online was better than the high street and just 14 per cent stated that they thought the ability to find what they wanted was better in a store than online.

“Its clear that shoppers would spend more online, if they had access to the recommendations and advice they currently get when visiting a physical store,” said Pontus Kristiansson, CEO and co-founder at Avail Intelligence.

“The simple addition of a web-enabled kiosk could link instore and online and provide shoppers with access to a wide range of products increasing the chance they’ll make a purchase with you and not a competitor,” he added.