John Hillman looks at the effect that the digital revolution has had on our shopping habits

A study released by McAfee has found that online shopping habits are being influenced more by digital security fears than the economic downturn.

The study, conducted on behalf of McAfee by Harris Interactive®, found that 72% of people in the US have not changed their online shopping behaviour since the economic downturn.

But in news that’s bound to interest online retailers, the study also found that concern over online security is the biggest single factor preventing people from completing online transactions. More than half of all respondents said that they had abandoned online shopping carts because they became concerned about security levels whilst on a site.

“Online retailers need to understand that consumers with intent to purchase are terminating their orders because they don’t feel safe online,” said Tim Dowling, vice president of McAfee’s Web Security Group.

“Our research suggests that economic concerns and price have not affected the way people shop online, but instead security concerns are the driving force behind whether a transaction is completed or terminated.”

“All sites regardless of size need to take measures to prove to customers that their personal information will be safe and secure when doing business online.”

Dowling also went on to say that people are much more likely to buy when they see a trustmark, such as McAfee SECURE™, displayed on the webpage, with one in five people refusing to purchase when the site fails to show one.

Displaying a trustmark is shown therefore to be an excellent opportunity for small businesses to build trust levels and set them apart from competitors.

47% of consumers look for a trustmark when shopping online and a third said that they would rather buy from a smaller retailer that displayed the trustmark than a larger one who did not.

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image credit: d’n'c

Tags: digital britain, online shopping, the digital effect, trustmark

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