The iconic paper catalogue printed for decades by high street chain Argos is being put out to pasture, with the rise of safe shopping online and the widespread use of mobile devices for browsing and order-placing purposes prompting this move.

The firm revealed that m-commerce is now the dominant means by which customers buy products, whether or not they arrange for home delivery or to collect in-store.

Although the catalogue was a staple of British retail for almost half a century, the prominence of digital shopping services and the ever-shifting habits of consumers have necessitated this move.

Portable devices are now used in almost four out of every five orders placed online at Argos’s website or via its shopping app. Furthermore, the retailer is making changes to the way that its bricks and mortar stores operate, with the national rollout of touchscreen kiosks aiming to appeal to the habits that shoppers have picked up due to their smartphone use.

Argos reported that the majority of the sales which it makes at the moment originate from research carried out via the web, even if they are ultimately completed at a physical outlet. This demonstrates that multichannel retail has become very important to the brand, with its online offerings fuelling store visits.

Company spokesperson Mark Given said that when the original Argos catalogue first hit the shelves some of its biggest-selling items were cameras and hit 1970s toys like the classic space hopper, while today people spend most of their cash on wireless headphones and Lego, according to Internet Retailing.

With 850 locations nationally and 60,000 products offered via its website, Argos is able to cater to the needs of consumers across the UK, and so while the end of the catalogue era may be mourned by some, most will not notice the switch.