66% of Online Shoppers Still Fear Misuse of Personal Information

Here’s a thing, did you know that, in a recent survey, 49% of shoppers cited credit card fraud as the reason they don’t buy on the Internet. That’s a whopper of a stat but I couldn’t help thinking that as the internet only accounts for about 9% of overall consumer spending, its not particularly surprising. 39% also said identity theft, 39% said spam and 30% said spyware.

Overall, I think that’s really encouraging. No really, think about it? That mean's people are aware of credit card fraud and theft on the Internet, and even know about spam and spyware. So, what they were actually saying is ‘sort yourselves out and we’ll buy’. Only 35% of people cited that they preferred the touch and feel of bricks and mortar retailers.

So, what can we do to ensure that our customers feel safe buying from us? Well, having a privacy statement and a privacy seal helps. 75% of responders said they felt more comfortable using a site that did. By the way if you’re going to have a privacy statement, make sure it’s displayed prominently on you site, not hidden away, and don’t copy one from someone else’s site. For one thing, most of it won’t be relevant and it will probably be full of jargon.
Some sites that I’ve visited didn’t even have a contact us page that included a name, address and telephone number. Also, you must have a returns policy? And not one that limits people to an unreasonable length of time to return unwanted items. The longest queue at Marks and Spencer’s is the returns queue and although it might sound bad, that’s great news for M&S. It means people feel comfortable that they can buy merchandise even if they’re not sure its absolutely right. And if it’s important to a high street retailer, it imperative for anyone hoping to retail over the Internet.