The advantages of ordering pizza over the internet instead of by phone are obvious - no accent misunderstandings, no need for the phonetic alphabet and no badgering to buy unwanted garlic bread - assuming the web design is up to scratch of course.

It seems that this is catching on, with Dominos reporting last month that a fifth of their pizzas were ordered online, but the trend seems set to move out of the pizza sphere and into the mainstream, according to uSwitch.

An article on silicon.com reports that the price comparison website has forecast that by 2026 money from online sales will be greater than that from mail order, telephone and shop sales combined, although whether this is dependent on the home nations qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is not revealed.

A spokesman said that the internet was the obvious choice as the economy is still sluggish, with it the best way of comparing prices to find the cheapest deals.

He said: "With less spending money than ever, it makes sense for consumers to turn to the internet."

If most sales are to be conducted online, it is vital that businesses invest in both web design - customers won't spend money on a poorly-designed site - and search engine optimisation - to make sure customers go to their site in the first place.

But will online sales really overtake all other forms of purchasing or will humans always strive for a bit of human interaction in their shopping?

Business Feet deliver targeted results through internet marketing and SEO web design