Less than one third of the 15m British internet users have purchased online.
Fifty percent of interviewees were unhappy at the prospect of using their credit card for internet shopping and only 18% would trust online vendors with their credit card details.
The survey found the British keen to research travel, books, CDs and computer equipment using the internet.
Of British web users, 40% have a university degree and almost 80% are in the ABC1 demographic. Their household income is 80% higher than the national average.
In the last year, women users have increased from 30 to 40%, but they are less likely than men to buy online – 36% of male users have bought at least one item over the internet compared with 20% of females.