'Retail therapy’ replaced by ‘retail anxiety’

Online shopping anxiety – not therapy – may be more common than we think, with new data revealing that just seven per cent of Aussies are completely comfortable with the online experience. The biggest fear among Aussie shoppers is around the checkout cart, not losing their delivery.
Parcel delivery service CouriersPlease (CP) commissioned a survey of an independent, nationally representative panel of 1021 Australians who made at least three online purchases in the last six months, to uncover the most common concerns among online shoppers. Possible concerns listed were credit card theft, the validity of the online store, lost parcels, returns policies, and spending too much online.
The e-commerce industry has made significant efforts to keep shoppers’ credit card information secure – this includes accepting payments through PayPal, and offering payment checkouts that require banks to authenticate cardholders via Visa Checkout and Mastercard SecureCode. Despite these moves by the industry, the survey results have revealed that credit card security is still the most common worry for online shoppers – with one in three respondents (36%) most fearful of having their card information stolen online.
The second most common fear is a reflection of the fast growth of local and international online stores: 19 per cent of respondents worried about the legitimacy of the online store they were buying from. A further 17 per cent of respondents worried that their goods would be lost in transit.
Fears that rank lower among Aussies are those surrounding returns policies. Eight per cent (8%) were concerned about not being able to return unsuitable items, followed by seven per cent (7%) of respondents worrying about having to return an item they bought.
The good news is that Aussies think these concerns can be resolved by the e-commerce industry itself: 84 per cent of respondents believe retailers can alleviate these concerns in the future with improved systems, digital technologies and customer service.
CP CEO Mark McGinley said: “Despite online shopping being prevalent and widespread among Aussies, it’s easy to forget that it’s still a relatively new experience for many – it’s only natural to have some fears. As such, it’s important that retailers provide their customers with the best all-rounded experience, such as having the necessary website security certifications to lower fears of fraud, and using a parcel delivery company that they can trust.
“We have a number of processes in place that allow you to track your order, including a tracking number and delivery notification when your parcel is on its way. The notification also offers you flexible redelivery options if you’re not home, such as redirecting to a neighbour, and using one of 1000+ conveniently-located POPPoints to have items delivered to a parcel locker or retail outlet – to avoid items getting stolen.