Fifty Percent of UK Shoppers Don’t Shop Online
According to a recent survey of the shopping preferences of UK consumers, over half of those surveyed say they are fearful of shopping online because they have to enter their credit card details on Internet shopping sites.
They prefer instead to stick to the High Street banks and stores for their purchasing needs stating that they are uncertain of the security of such shopping sites and are wary about the potential risks associated with the credit card usage. The recent stories in the media contribute to this fear according to sources from CyberSource. These stories usually focus on “online crimes” and fraud associated with “losses of credit card information.”
Consumers are not merely relying on the stories of such happenings that have been reported in the media. Most of them have a friend of family member who has been a victim of online fraud due to shopping on Internet sites. “This is not surprising in light of the abundance of coverage that the media gives to such events in an attempt to educate the public about ensuring that they keep their identity and credit information safe”, says Simon Stokes, the managing director of CyberSource.
It is a very challenging endeavour to educate the general population about ways in which they can shop safely, since there are many deals to be had when shopping online. Practicing safety habits will help minimize the exposure to fraud and in this way protect their financial information from unscrupulous persons. It is a shame that there are fraudsters operating in this way because of the convenience shopping online offers UK consumers, saving them valuable time and money.
Stokes believes that as more and more consumers become knowledgeable about the ways in which they can protect themselves, there will be a higher percentage of online shoppers. Of those that do shop online, they are well aware of the ways in which they can protect themselves. About 68% of consumers have now signed up with security programs such as MasterCard Secure Code or Verified by Visa. This means you have an additional password protection on your card so that only you can use it.
Most consumers now know the ways of determining whether or not a shopping site is secure. They look for a padlock icon on the home page and this tells them that there is no way any unauthorized persons can gain access to the credit card information they submit. Such websites also have a written privacy policy stating that your information will never be shared with any affiliate companies.
It is also good practice to be familiar with the name of the company from which you want to make an online purchase. The major brand name stores all have an online presence, but you may find a sweet deal from a merchant with which you are not familiar. Once you scour the site to find a padlock icon, you can feel reasonably safe in using your credit card, but just in case, you can do a general search for the company name to find out how long it has been in business and if it has any negative reviews.
Tags: privacy policy, Don't Shop, percentage, credit card details, internet security, Visa
