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Online shopping worries [New Straits Time (Malaysia)](New Straits Time (Malaysia) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) FROM airline tickets to groceries, more Malaysians are getting used to buying online these days. By 2015, it is expected that the local e-commerce market would grow to RM3.43 billion. But this does not mean shoppers are venturing into virtual malls without worry. A recent survey by PayPal reveals that while more Malaysians are joining the bandwagon, online security is still a big concern for them. The survey, involving 1,020 people aged 18 to 45 who have made online purchases within the last six months, shows that 73 per cent of the respondents shop online at least once a month. What's more, they prefer to shop using their smartphones and tablets (46 per cent) and more than half of the respondents report spending over RM200 online in the last three months. According to Audrey Ottevanger, PayPal's country manager for Malaysia and The Philippines, Malaysians are flocking to sites such as AirAsia, Malaysian Airlines, TGV, GSC, Zalora, JelitaSARA, StrawberryNET and Rakuten and they are careful to choose sites that offer a secured payment platform. "They go online to search for more choices, collectible items and things at competitive prices. Many also conduct cross-border shopping for digital goods, such as buying games and apps as well as items that they cannot find locally, online or offline," she says of Malaysian shoppers. Based on the survey, more than 58 per cent of local respondents cited top concerns such as financial details being stolen by cybercriminals and falling victim to fraud, while 23 per cent worry about having to share credit card details with a website they have not visited before. Another nine per cent of the respondents worry about not getting their orders delivered while six per cent are concerned about receiving damaged goods. Ottevanger says the concern over financial details being stolen and sharing of credit card details with a new online store is holding back e-commerce growth. "Malaysians look for a secured payment platform, and PayPal can offer shoppers peace of mind through our Buyer Protection policy," she says. The policy protects buyers who don't receive eligible items they have purchased from websites that accept PayPal, or if they receive an eligible item which is significantly different from what is described on the website. She says that merchants, especially small businesses, also get to gain the trust of customers by offering a trusted payment method such as PayPal, which sets the basis for buyer protection and refund policy. "By using PayPal, not only are buyers protected but the merchants too, with PayPal Seller protection. When there is conflict, both buyer and seller can resort to the PayPal Resolution Centre where we provide services to resolve the matter," says Ottevanger. PayPal has a few easy tips for shoppers to follow when buying online. Apart from checking for a https at the beginning of the site address, PayPal also recommends using an updated browser and to shop only through only reputable apps. A quick search on the site and what other people say about it, is also helpful in determining if a site is safe to shop at or not. (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |