This week, NetChoice put out an advisory reminding Australian consumers how to shop safely online this Christmas. . Most of it would be familiar to seasoned online shoppers who know how to avoid and manage the risks of online commerce. The same could be said for a large share of six million Australian online shoppers.
It would be easy to say ‘no worries’ about consumer concerns over online safety. After all, e-commerce has been growing every year. But the sad fact is that millions of Australian consumers with internet access still don’t buy online. In light of the bargains to be had, are they mad or savvy?
Neither, I suggest. They are just risk-adverse and a little intimidated by media reports about online fraud or identity theft. Many more of them would be buying online if they knew a bit more about managing their credit card information.
The online community must do more to allay worries and increase awareness. We have to listen to the worriers, and knock over the impediments to digital confidence.
That’s why the NetChoice advisory included a list of best practices for making online payments. We are encouraging merchants to offer payment options that reduce consumer risks by shielding credit card details from the merchant. PayMate, PayPal, and POLi all offer that kind of protection, and more methods are on the way.
Please add your voice to our campaign. Come and join us.
Happy Christmas from the NetChoice team.