• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 12, 2005

The recently released 2005 Holiday Shopping/Online Trust Survey, by TRUSTe and TNS, revealed that while 78 percent of American Internet users plan to conduct some shopping online this year, 69 percent of those shoppers will limit their online purchasing because of fears associated with misuse of personal information. And, the consumers surveyed indicated that concerns about privacy issues will deter more than 40 percent of consumers from shopping at smaller online retailers.

The survey indicates that based on these concerns, 22 percent of shoppers will not make any purchases online and an additional 14 percent will substantially limit their online spending. Among those willing to use e-commerce, nearly 42 percent prefer using the large, well-known online brands.

 David Stark, North America privacy officer of TNS, said “More than three out of four shoppers feel more comfortable purchasing at sites that display a privacy statement or privacy seal. Among these (shoppers), two-thirds are more likely to stick with well known brands because they fear that lesser known e-tailers might misuse their personal information.”

The top five factors that shoppers said might limit or prevent them from buying online this holiday season are:

• Identity theft (cited by 49 percent)
• Spam resulting from online purchases (39 percent)
• Credit card theft (39 percent)
• Spyware (38 percent)
• Need for the “touch and feel” of shopping in bricks-and-mortar stores (35 percent)

Please go here for more on this study.