Survey: More than half of online shoppers more conscious of security

London -- Fifty-four percent of online shoppers feel that they are more conscious of their security online compared to 12 months ago, following a string of high-profile security breaches at various international retailers and brands. Of the 2,000 online consumers surveyed as part of EDigitalResearch's and IMRG's EcustomerServiceIndex, half (50%) felt that retailers should be doing more to keep them safe online, especially in the wake of yet more data and security breaches in 2014.



While a handful of consumers think that reminders to update passwords and security notifications would be helpful, the majority of respondents feel that it is up to retailers to invest in stringent security and privacy policies to keep customers safe when shopping online.



Of the 2,000 online consumers surveyed, almost one in four (24%) have (or have a family member who has) been a victim of a fraudulent transaction online in the past. However, a significant percentage of those surveyed were not aware of basic security measures, such as regularly updating their passwords. Less than half (43%) said that they update their passwords every three to six months, while 6% of those surveyed were not aware they could do this. Similarly, just two-thirds (69%) use different passwords for different sites and 5% of online consumers were unaware that this is a possibility.



"It is clear from our latest set of results that security really has become a crucial factor in the online customer journey for consumers,” said Derek Eccleston, commercial director at EDigitalResearch. “Onus from consumers is very much on retailers to invest in and improve their security measures for their online customers - over two thirds (67%) expect organizations to contact them immediately (within six hours) by email or phone if security had been breached and it leads to a potential loss of data."