Consumer confidence adds up to U.K. holiday online forecast of £3.3 billion
E-retailers are under pressure to provide fast service at this time of year when more shoppers purchase online–and that’s true in the United Kingdom as well, where online shopping is on a rapidly accelerating upward curve. But at a time when site operators’ attention is being pulled in that direction, they must take particular care to protect the security of customers’ financial information, warns a U.K. firm that provides data assurance services.
According to data from trade association the Interactive Media in Retail Group, Britain’s shoppers will spend £1.145 billion online this week, making it the biggest e-sales week in that country’s history. On Dec. 1, Britain’s web sales were estimated at more than £180 million, an all-time high for a single day and 40% higher than last year’s peak of approximately £131 million on Dec. 12.
Overall, Verdict, a U.K. retailing authority, predicts that 2.5% of the total holiday spend in the U.K. in December will be online. IMRG is forecasting that December online sales in Britain will exceed £3.35 billion.
“There has been a huge increase in consumer confidence when it comes to online shopping,” according to database security provider Secerno. With traffic up, according to the service provider, “It is no surprise that there is a great deal of temptation for the e-retailer to cut corners in order to satisfy demand, hit targets and remain competitive.”
During this season in particular, when shoppers going online for the first time will form an opinion of the channel based on their experience, e-retailers must put in place mechanisms that identify potential hacker threats and allow them to deal with attacks immediately, according to Secerno.
Back...
