Ideal Shopping Direct is to test a short-term credit offer to encourage customers to spend through the credit crunch.

The deal, similar to that of rival QVC’s Easy Pay, will allow shoppers to spread payments over months. It will only be offered to long-term customers initially.

The TV shopping business issued a profit warning this week as a slowdown in consumer spending took average customer spend down 4 per cent. Full-year pre-tax profit is now not expected to exceedÂŁ6.3 million.

Sales were up 2.6 per cent toÂŁ47.5 million in its first half to June 29. Chief executive Andrew Fryatt said that the first 10 weeks of the second half had been stronger, delivering like-for-like sales growth of 5 per cent on a higher margin.

He said: “The relaunch of our web site [in June] has also done well for us and given us confidence for the second half. We don’t want to be too bullish in such an uncertain market though.”

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