More than one fifth of U.S. Internet users will take a pass on online shopping this holiday season due to security concerns, according to a new study released Wednesday.
The concerns most cited by respondents were identity theft, spam, credit-card theft and spyware, according to a survey of 1,005 U.S. Internet users conducted by London-based market researcher Taylor Nelson Sofres PLC.
Among the 78 percent of U.S. Internet users who will shop online during the holidays, 69 percent will curb their purchasing activities due to fears over possible misuse of their personal information, according to the survey. The poll was commissioned by nonprofit organization TRUSTe, which certifies Web sites that comply with the group's privacy protection principles.
Specifically, security concerns will keep some shoppers away from smaller, lesser-known online retailers, out of fear that these vendors are more likely to misuse personal information than their larger, better known counterparts.
The survey, conducted online between Oct. 27 and Nov. 1, has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
A study released last week reached similar conclusions. Commissioned by the Business Software Alliance and conducted by Forrester Research Inc.'s Custom Consumer Research, that study found that 25 percent of U.S. consumers won't shop online during the upcoming holiday season because of concerns over buying goods online.
Still, online shopping is growing this holiday season, compared with last year's. Between Nov. 1 and Nov. 28, nontravel spending by consumers reached US$7.93 billion, a 24 percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to market researcher comScore Networks Inc.
Specifically during the Thanksgiving weekend (between Thursday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 27) and on the following so-called "Black Monday" (Nov. 28), spending grew 26 percent over the same period last year, comScore said Tuesday.
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts
This white paper provides guidance on how to develop a strategic approach to managing and monitoring logs, a key function required for compliance with many regulatory mandates and a critical defense against security threats.
Download now! »
Learn about the processes and technologies that support security information management (SIM) operations, as well as the business case for SIM. The series examines different options for implementing SIM and gives you evaluation criteria for selecting the best option for your organization.
Download now! »
Learn the strategies, actions, and capabilities that Best-in-Class organizations employ and technologies they choose to obtain superior performance against various security performance metrics. This report provides guidelines for identifying which security solutions to consume as a MSS and defines best practices for choosing and managing MSSPs.
Download now! »
Recommend This
