Security concerns make consumers hesitant to shop online

Wednesday, June 15, 2016 - 17:22 by Simon Crisp

38 per cent of people in the UK are reluctant to carry out safe shopping online because they fear that by doing so they will be putting their personal information at risk of theft.

This is according to a new survey from Pockit, which shows that the fear of fraud is still stopping plenty of people from using the internet for banking and retail.

40 per cent said that they have either been directly impacted by some form of scam online, or have suffered from attempts to exploit their data which were ultimately unsuccessful, the Daily Mail reports.

Last year the cost of card fraud and other forms of online payment manipulation rose by over a quarter, to £755 million in the UK. Based on current trends, this figure is likely to increase once more in 2016.

This poses a huge problem for retailers, as unless they can convince customers that they are able to offer safe shopping online, this level of hesitance will lead to a lack of sales growth going forwards.

Meanwhile, the advice given to consumers, including the idea that setting up a separate bank account specifically to use for online purchases, can seem intimidating and complicated in its own right.

There are of course alternative payment solutions which offer an extra layer of protection when compared with traditional forms, but report author, Virraj Jatania, said that there was a risk that some shoppers in the UK would be limited to using cash to buy on the high street, rather than having access to the world of e-commerce.

This could leave some shoppers spending up to £1,300 more for the products and services they purchase each year than their contemporaries who can shop online securely, which demonstrates that there are still obstacles to overcome for the industry.