By Polly Raymond, 12 November 1998 00:15
NEWS Research published today by Which? Online shows that the UK public is nervous about buying goods over the Internet because they still fear fraud and a break down in morality. Of the 1,017 consumers questioned by Which? 68 per cent registered concern about entering credit card numbers onto Web sites to pay for goods or services. But 62 per cent also admitted that they consider the Net to be as safe as shopping through a mail order catalogue. Morality is another major concern for consumers online. Around 60 per cent regard the Net as a vehicle for the campaigns of racist organisations, extreme religious groups and cults, and 90 per cent think that it is a problem because it gives easier access - particularly for children - to pornographic material. Alan Stevens, editor of Which? Online, suggested that the onus is on Web traders to change consumer perceptions. "To improve consumer trust, businesses need to offer security guarantees. Consumers want a guarantee of redress if things go wrong - a statement about which security technologies are used - and additional privacy guarantees. All this information should be displayed on retail sites," he said. Stevens comments reaffirm evidence from law firm Eversheds - published on Silicon last month - claimed that one third of Web sites break the law by failing to display terms and conditions before the customer enters credit card details.
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