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A survey by Vzaar.com found that 46% of shoppers "wasted" a total of £6.9bn buying goods under this misapprehension.

Not surprisingly, Vzaar suggests that it has the solution. It provides tools for replacing static images on sites such as eBay with a video of the product being sold.

The research found that 58% of shoppers believe sites using video are more professional, while 52% said seeing a video makes them more likely to buy. And Vzaar says that one in five are willing to pay an additional 10% to products and services in "more interactive detail".

"The rise in popularity of video sharing sites is one of the main pillars of Web 2.0, but retailers have yet to embrace its power," said Adrian Sevitz, Vzaar's Chief Geek (yes that really is his job title).

"In the busy Christmas period, innovative use of video could really help sites stand out from the competition, encourage trust amongst customers and maximise their profits."

Vzaar will be running a series of controlled Ebay auctions in 2008 to work out exactly how much more people are willing to pay to see a video.