1 in 4 Brits to shop via interactive TV by end 2014

A study by eBay UK reveals that, of five new emerging technologies, interactive TV will be the most influential among British consumers.

Along with four other emerging technologies identified by eBay in the report - augmented reality, in-store technologies, image recognition and smart devices - interactive TV will drive $3.8 billion in new sales.

The take-up of interactive TV will be significant come the end of 2014, found the report which was conducted by retail experts Conlumino. By that time 25% of British consumers will regularly use interactive TV to buy good and services. This channel alone is predicted to drive almost $1.2 billion in direct sales.

"The opportunity for the retail industry over the next two years lies in identifying which technologies will yield the most return on investment," said Angus McCarey, UK retail director for eBay.

"But it's tough because it means thinking differently about what is driving sales - individual technologies or even individual stores may not yield significant direct sales, but their value may lie in customer engagement and brand loyalty."

A recent survey from the Strategy Analytics Digital Home Observatory found that interactive TV owners in the U.S. are more than three times more likely to regularly use the Internet capabilities of their TVs than those in Europe.

Tags: connected TV, consumer insight, ecommerce, emerging technology, interactive TV, retail trends, shopping trends, smart TV, television