Christmas shoppers still worried about online threats

Nearly one in four Britons are held back from shopping online over Christmas due to security fears, according to a YouGov survey.

Almost a quarter (22 per cent) of UK shoppers are holding back from online shopping due to fears over online identity theft and fraud, while 14 per cent do not trust e-commerce sites, according to the study.

The research, commissioned by Verisign, also said that UK consumers were only willing to spend a third of their shopping budget online, or 32 pence in every pound.

One of the issues for a third of consumers was the fact that you couldn't try goods before you bought them.

Fears about postal strikes also meant that 27 per cent feared that goods bought online would not arrive in time for Christmas.

Andrew McClelland, director at IMRG, said in a statement: "The research shows that fears over online safety are still holding consumers back this Christmas."

He added: "More and more people are browsing online but not necessarily spending a lot. If people don't trust the site they are browsing, they simply won't buy from it."

"If there is even a slightest hesitation the total amount spend will be dramatically reduced."

Although UK shoppers still have fears, some 86 per cent of them will be shopping online this Christmas, which is a six per cent increase from last year.

IT PRO offers guidance from security experts about how you can keep safe shopping online this Christmas.