Online shopping set to exceed £5 billion in December

Christmas shoppers are expected to spend over £5 billion online this December, according to APACS, the UK payments association. To help protect cardholders from fraud during this busy shopping period, APACS has published a consumer advice guide and launched a new website aimed at making online Christmas shopping a fraud-free experience.

APACS figures show that the number of adults shopping online has more than doubled in the last five years to almost 30 million. This makes it more essential than ever before that online shoppers take the necessary steps to ensure they don’t fall victim to fraud.

The Paying Safely Online advice guide outlines the various safety steps online shoppers should take before they buy something over the internet. The guide provides top tips to be aware of when shopping online and gives helpful advice on what to do if things go wrong.

To help online shoppers stay free from fraud this Christmas, APACS has also launched shopsafeonline.org.uk, which contains details about Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode – systems that make online shopping payments more secure for both consumers and online retailers. The new website shows how to sign up to these systems and contains a free-to-download copy of the Paying Safely Online advice guide.

Sandra Quinn, director of communications at APACS, said: “We reckon that Monday 3 December is likely to be one of the busiest online shopping days of the year. More and more of us are buying our Christmas presents online and the evidence suggests we like to do so about three weeks before the big day to ensure they are delivered on time. The internet allows us to take the stress out of Christmas shopping, but it’s important that people take steps to protect themselves – which is why we’ve launched this new guide and website.

“Simple measures such as protecting your PC with the most up-to-date anti-virus software can go a long way to ensuring your safety when using the internet. Similarly, registering your card with MasterCard SecureCode or Verified by Visa can provide extra protection when you shop online. Our new website - www.shopsafeonline.org.uk - details everything that consumers and online retailers need to know about signing up to these secure online payment services.”

In recently released figures, APACS estimates that total spending on cards, cash and cheques will reach £53.0 billion in December, an increase of 4.2 per cent from 2006 figures.

Total spending on plastic cards is expected to increase by almost ten per cent (9.9 per cent) this December (compared with last December) while spending on cards at online retailers is expected to increase by more than half (55.6 per cent) from £3.6 billion in December 2006 to £5.6 billion in December this year - over a billion pounds a week in the lead up to Christmas.