Tag: ways

27
May
0

Five ways to protect yourself while online shopping

By avi maxwel / in , , , /

Yubico is a Business Reporter client.

Business Reporter: Yubico

Over the holiday period, many of us purchase gifts for friends and family, bringing a vital boost to retailers. Much of this is done online: 96 per cent of people planned to shop over the internet between October and December, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll for Yubico, a leading provider of multi-factor authentication.

While this is undoubtedly convenient for time-pressed consumers, online shopping also leaves them open to significant risk from cyber-criminals. Around 90 per cent of all cyber-attacks are a result of stolen login details, often gleaned through the use of phishing, where victims are tricked into visiting malicious websites via text or email and inadvertently revealing their passwords or downloading malware. Hackers can access online accounts to steal payment information and make fraudulent purchases, while the use of duplicate passwords across multiple accounts means other sites used by a victim could also be breached.

Faced with these threats, survey results find that 82 per cent of Americans and 78 per cent of Brits are concerned about cyber-security when it comes to their online accounts. However, many are left wondering where to start when it comes to

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21
November
0

In-person, online, or hybrid shopping? American consumer habits are changing in surprising ways

By avi maxwel / in , , , , , , , , , /

Photo Illustration by Stacker // Canva

In-person, online, or hybrid shopping? American consumer habits are changing in surprising ways

A woman shopping online in front of a black-and-white image of a clothing store.

American consumers have long been a driving force of the country’s economy and, for the last decade, have been responsible for nearly 70% of U.S. gross domestic product. While spending has changed only a few percentage points since 2007, spending habits have undergone seismic shifts. 

Online sales were already growing before the onset of the pandemic, but it was supercharged when Americans opted for contactless shopping. In 2020, e-commerce sales increased by more than three times compared to pre-COVID-19 rates. While the rate has dropped since social distancing guidelines were lifted, shoppers are still logging on. As of mid-2023, nearly 15% of all retail sales were made online, according to the Census Bureau; five years earlier, that share was under 10%. 

It wasn’t so long ago when online shopping was brand new and apprehensions about the vulnerability of personal information, credit card numbers, and computer connections put many customers off. As payment security has advanced, retailers also perfected their online shopping experiences to attract even more

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28
August
0

Here are 6 ways shopping sites trick you into buying more – and how to avoid taking the bait

By avi maxwel / in , , , , , , /

As online sales have grown during the pandemic, retailers have learned to be more persuasive.Arif Qazi/Insider;

  • Online retailers use psychological tricks and tools to get consumers to make purchases.

  • Experts told Insiders that many retailers often tap into shoppers’ fear of missing out, or “FOMO.”

  • Retailers have been deploying these tactics for over a decade. But we’re shopping even more online.

Online retailers use psychological tricks and marketing tools to get consumers to make purchases. And as online sales have grown during the pandemicretailers have learned to be more persuasive.

Companies are relying more on first-party data to build personal relationships with customers and convince them to make purchases. This data will only grow in importance as social media ads become more costly, and Internet cookieswhich help track users on different sites, are phased out.

Experts who spoke to Insider said many of the business strategies deployed by retailers tap into shoppers’ fear of missing out, or FOMO, on the latest and most popular products. Offering incentives to add more items to online carts like free shipping is another example of the psychological tricks a retailer can play.

Nike and Lululemon are two companies leading the pack

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