Small online shops suffer from virus threats

Customers trust SSL encryption for online payments
One in five Internet sellers loses sales after virus warnings

One in five online shops expects sales losses following virus alerts.

Familiarity of online sellers influences customer loyalty
Despite heightened virus threats, well-known online shops do not have to worry much about losing sales. When virus alerts are issued, just under a third of all Internet shoppers focus their activities on established online shops. Shopping visits to smaller providers, on the other hand, are largely avoided following acute warnings. These are the findings of the Internet World Business Trendscout "Security in online purchases" conducted by novomind AG in conjunction with Internet World Business.
 
Small online shops can integrate themselves into larger marketplaces to make their customers more confident about their security
Very well-known online shops do not have to worry much about their sales during periods of increased virus activity: 31.6 per cent of virtual shoppers buy exclusively from them following warnings about trojans. This trust in big Internet shops can be of benefit to smaller online shops, since integration into a popular marketplace can serve to make consumers feel much more confident about buying from them. 28 per cent of online shoppers are not scared off for long by virus warnings, but they do postpone their Internet purchases for a few days or weeks. One in ten will visit the virtual shop less or not at all.
 
Customer trust is increased by security measures in shops
Increased security precautions are therefore essential. 87.8 per cent of those asked stated that the use of SSL encryption - for example - during the payment process makes them trust it more. Notices about security risks, such as the dangers of phishing mails, also boost customer trust, according to half of those asked. Furthermore, online shops are turning increasingly to services in order to win consumers’ loyalty: 83.7 per cent consider an option to cancel the transaction very important in building customer trust. 79.6 per cent also appreciate detailed service pages to provide them with the information they require.
 
Background information
The Internet World Business Trendscout presents the results of an online survey conducted on behalf of novomind AG in conjunction with Internet World Business. The figures were obtained during the period from 12 June to 20 June 2007. A total of 171 experts and managers from the Internet industry took part.
 
novomind AG: innovative software for professional customer communications
novomind is a software developer in Hamburg and the fastest-growing company in the field of electronic customer communications and mail management. As the leading provider of innovative solutions for digital customer communications, novomind AG provides software for service-oriented and personalised customer dealings. The software not only optimises efficiency in customer administration significantly, it also gives the user a faster return on investment. The portfolio of the Products division includes the novomind Self-Service Suite™. The software package contains all the communication modules necessary for a customer service centre on a central knowledge basis: e-mail management, virtual customer consulting and systems for interactive, real-time communication. The novomind AG Services division implements complex e-business applications. More than 40 major companies have already decided in favour of novomind technology, among them Citibank, Otto, Yello Strom and the German pension institution Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund. Club Bertelsmann, EnBW and Mexx as well as public-sector users, such as the German Bundestag (parliament) and the German Department of Trade and Industry, have already successfully introduced novomind systems to optimise their customer communications, turnover and PR.

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