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The research, conducted by credit card company Egg, revealed a desire to save money and take advantage of online offers was behind the switch.

As many as 60% of shoppers will be staying at home to shop to avoid the “urge to splurge” on impulse purchases on top of planned gift purchases.

Many of those polled also admitted drawing up a strict yuletide spending plan to avoid wasting cash and to only buy gifts that family and friends would appreciate.

The Egg poll revealed that 41% of people believe they have “extra control” when shopping online as they can avoid the tricks employed by retails to encourage them to spend more.

Egg spokeswoman Vanessa Wood said: “Online shopping is increasingly popular.

“People see it as a way to rein in their spending and resist the temptation to impulse buy.”

She added that online shopping was an “ideal solution for those who find the Christmas crowds stressful”.

Internet shopping also offers other ways to save. Voucher code websites have become increasing popular. Sites like www.vouchercodes.co.uk offer hundreds of codes that when entered on the checkout screen provide savings of up to 50% on purchases.

High street retailers have also cottoned on to the online trend. This year, House of Fraser, Boots and Marks and Spencer are all offering 3 for 2 deals on gifts while other online stores are climbing over each other to offer the best deals.

The catalogues of yesteryear have also moved online and remain a popular way to buy gifts with the cost spread over a long period at 0% interest.

Gift vouchers can also be bought online, printed out and inserted into Christmas cards.

Oxfam's Unwrapped promotion aims to make donations trendy this Christmas. They have a well-stocked online store with a variety of gift ideas that help the needy.

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Credit Cards	0% Balance Transfers	0% Purchases	APR Representative (Variable)
	Tesco ClubCard Credit Card
	9 months	15 months	16.9%
** 16.9% APR representative (variable). Based on a credit limit of 1200 and purchase rate 16.9% p.a(variable). **
	Virgin Credit Card
	20 months	3 months	16.8%
** 16.8% APR representative (variable). Based on a credit limit of 1200 and purchase rate 16.8% p.a(variable). **
	Barclaycard Platinum with BT
	22 months	3 months	17.5%
** 17.5% APR representative (variable). Based on a credit limit of 1200 and purchase rate 17.5% p.a(variable). **
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