The Christmas shopping season is fully under way; over half of Europeans plan to buy their gifts online this Christmas; yet many are struggling to cope with the complex password rules posed by online retailers. That is according to new research from an IT security product company.
Research by Opinion Way on behalf of Kaspersky Lab suggests that 52 per cent of Europeans plan to purchase the majority of their gifts online this Christmas. The trend for digital shopping is particularly prevalent in the UK (66 per cent), followed closely by Germany (60 per cent), Italy (51 per cent) and Spain (50 per cent). On the other hand, adoption appeared to be lagging behind in France (35 per cent) and the Netherlands (34 per cent), with only a third inclined to shop online this Christmas.
Yet, despite its increasing popularity, the convenience of online shopping is still being compounded by concerns around password complexity. According to the research, nearly half of Europeans (47 per cent) think that password rules on websites make it difficult to remember passwords, illustrating the frustrations of managing multiple passwords for various sites. The French and the Dutch, are most likely to negatively consider password rules (53 per cent and 51 per cent respectively), which could explain the lack of enthusiasm to buy gifts online this holiday season.
With this complexity in mind, the IT firm adds, it’s no surprise that over half of Europeans (55 per cent) have to reset their online passwords at least once a month and 14 per cent every week. Perhaps more worryingly, eight per cent need to reset their password every time they shop online, which has a significant impact on the convenience and appeal of online shopping for consumers. As a result, one third of Europeans (34 per cent) believe that passwords are inconvenient, despite the fact that they are often considered to be the padlock protecting our digital lives.
David Emm, Principal Security Researcher, Kaspersky Lab, says: “With over half of us expected to do our Christmas shopping online, retail is no longer about ‘bricks and mortar’, it’s about ‘click and order’. But as shopping from the comfort of our own homes becomes the norm, it’s very important to ensure that our online shopping experience is a safe and secure. Passwords are often our first line of defence when it comes to protecting online transactions, but the problem is there’s always a trade-off between security and convenience. With complicated password rules to adhere to and multiple login details to remember, many consumers are struggling to remember their passwords, so it’s clear they need a better way to streamline this process.”
