Australian online shoppers concerned about security

Australian online consumers are growing more and more concerned about data security in the wake of the 13% increase in cybercrime reports received by the Australian Cyber Security Centre in the past year, according to research from GetApp.

A survey of 991 Australian online shoppers conducted by the company found that 57% of respondents are more concerned about cybersecurity than they were a year ago, with 38% reporting being extremely concerned about the topic.

Among consumers who reported being more concerned about security, 58% are worried about cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated and harder to spot, while 57% are worried about the increase in the prevalence of attacks and the same proportion are concerned about the increase in personal data leaks.

Survey respondents indicated that they take steps to enhance their security when purchasing online, including reading online reviews about the company (44%), talking to friends to gauge the reliability of the company (38%) and researching a company’s reputation (38%).

GetApp said previous research conducted by the company suggests that 71% of consumers are opting out of online purchases because they don’t trust companies with their personal information.

Conversely, Australian responses to the latest survey suggest that consumers are more likely to trust a company’s payment security system (68%) while making a purchase online. This was followed by data encryption (44%), an organisation’s guarantee of data security (36%), and having a transparent and straightforward privacy policy (34%).

Meanwhile, nearly all (94%) survey respondents agreed that they expect companies to be transparent about how they actively mitigate risks regarding data security, with 57% demanding to know exactly how companies are securing their data.

In the eyes of respondents, important methods to improve the transparency of how organisations mitigate data security risks include having a clear statement on their homepage (63%), contacting customers personally over email (58%), and providing updates about security in their email newsletters (51%).

In a blog post, GetApp Content Analyst Andrew Blair said these findings should be a wake-up call for Australian e-commerce companies.

“Our survey data highlights public awareness of cybersecurity threats and indicates that many consumers want companies to inform them about the online security measures and processes they take to protect their data,” he said.

“Businesses that want to improve their products or services with the use of customer data will need to provide customers with a vital element they seek when deciding where to place their trust — transparency.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Tero Vesalainen