Adding video to an online advertisement almost doubles the amount of time a consumer intentionally spends interacting with it, a new survey has found.

According to research by Eyeblaster, online display adverts featuring video capture a user's attention for an average of 71.51 seconds, compared to a time of 37.7 seconds for non-video banner adverts. The study also found that dwell rate - a metric used to determine how long a consumer is actively engaged with an online campaign - peaks at 09:00 BST and at lunchtime, but decreases as the evening progresses.

Chief executive and co-founder of Eyeblaster Gal Trifon noted that many marketers are frustrated at the lack of "suitable metrics" for measuring the effectiveness of online marketing. "Technology allows us to analyse consumer time spent with display advertising and indicates that consumers intentionally spend nearly a minute with online ads on average," he explained, adding that it is important to use the information to produce campaigns that feature "measurable touch-points beyond a click".

In related news, a study by price comparison website uSwitch.com recently revealed that UK web users are increasing the amount of time they spend visiting online retailers. The findings showed that 65 per cent spend up to two hours a week shopping on the internet.