Shopping safely on-line this Christmas

You can ease the crunch on your credit and beat those banking blues by shopping online this Christmas, says IMRG the industry body for e-retailing.

Despite the current financial gloom, IMRG expects internet retailing to buck the latest economic trends and anticipates a year on year growth for the final quarter of around 15% as bargain seeking customers spend £13.16 billion online in the run up to Christmas.

With less than 50 shopping days to go, now more than ever shopping online will be the best place for cash-conscious consumers looking to find the best prices and products for presents this festive season.

Research carried out earlier this year for the IMRG e-Customer Service Index by e-Digital Research, found that 68% of shoppers would be more likely to shop online for Christmas presents this year, with 77% of shoppers planning to carry out about half or more of their Christmas shopping online (up from 56% in 2007). This confidence in the competitive prices available online was confirmed with 79% of respondents satisfied with this aspect of online shopping.

The research also highlighted that the internet is becoming increasingly important as a tool for research before purchase and for driving consumer choice. The internet will be used by 86% of shoppers’ surveyed to research Christmas shopping options before buying in-store, and vice versa 59% stated they plan to research gift options in-store before buying online.

Commenting on consumers shopping online, Bruce Fair of IMRG member Kelkoo said: “People are looking to get the best brands and the best prices this Christmas and our research shows that 78% of people are planning to do their Christmas shopping online rather than on the high street. We always advise shoppers to check the delivery times and costs to avoid any disappointments, which is why we ensure that every retailer lists these details clearly. The biggest demand looks set to be for the Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit, the big video games such as Call of Duty and flat-screen TVs, which have come down dramatically in price in the last few months”.

Shopping Online provides a convenient way of making purchases at any time of day, 365 days a year, from a huge range of retailers offering more choice than ever before. However, IMRG recommends that you take some precautionary measures to protect yourself and ensure that you have an enjoyable time shopping in the global shopping centre that the internet has come to represent, and here are our TEN TOP TIPS:-

1. All of your usual shopping rights apply online: see consumer.gov.uk

2. Know who you're dealing with: get the seller's landline phone number and postal address

3. Be aware of terms and conditions: check payment and delivery details

4. Keep records of what you order

5. EU Law protects you against fraudulent use of your payment card in EU transactions: credit cards give you extra protection

6. Only give your payment card details over a secure connection, and never by email: never disclose your PIN number to anyone, and never send it over the internet

7. You usually have at least 7 days to cancel an order and request a refund from an EU retailer

8. Check your payment card statement carefully: you have at least 90 days to report a suspect transaction

9. When you buy goods online from outside the EU:

- you (the customer) are an importer and may be liable to pay any Customs Duty and VAT;

- err on the side of caution as it may be difficult to seek redress if problems arise

10. If you have a problem, contact the seller then, if you need to, the payment company, local Trading Standards Office and any 'trustmark' organisation the seller is registered with.

IMRG manages the Internet Shopping Is Safe (ISIS) trustmark scheme and ISIS-Accredited retailers now account for approximately two thirds of all UK online shopping.

Consumers can shop online with confidence wherever they see the ISIS logo because it certifies that the retailer has:

- registered with the ISIS programme and undertaken to trade in a manner that is LEGAL, DECENT, HONEST, TRUTHFUL AND FAIR;

- had its web site and service reviewed and monitored by IMRG;

- had its Business, VAT and Data Protection registrations checked by IMRG.

According to the PayPoint.net survey, 50% of consumers shopping online are checking the ISIS logo on accredited retailers’ sites.

Continuing with the security of shopping online theme, Mark Bowerman of APACS commented, "Shopping online is more popular than ever before - it is estimated that last year there were 645 million consumer internet payments, up from 541 million in 2006. More than 30 million adults bought something online in the second half of last year - but it is important that consumers follow common sense advice to ensure they stay safe from fraud. Raising awareness of how to shop safely online is the theme of the Be Card Smart Online campaign, backed by the banking and retail industries, which launched on 20 October and is running until Christmas.

Keeping your PC protected with up-to-date anti-virus software and registering your credit and debit cards for the secure online payment systems - Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode - are two of the messages the campaign is promoting. More than 25 million cards have been registered for Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode, an increase in take-up of more than 600 per cent in just two years. Similarly, more and more online retailers are introducing these same secure systems, and those that have signed-up currently handle approximately one third of the value of all the UK’s online shopping. The banking industry continues to urge those cardholders not yet signed up to do so, as we all need to play our part to make life harder for online shopping fraudsters. More information is available at becardsmart.org.uk."

Ultimately, the online shopping experience is only as good as the delivery. Parcels giant and IMRG Member, GeoPost, who operate the DPD and Interlink Express brands in the UK, are focused on “right-first-time” delivery and offer the following advice:

When you buy online ensure you are given a delivery date and that you will be there to sign for your parcel.

If you are unable to be in to accept the delivery, consider using an alternative delivery address,, perhaps a friend or relative can take delivery for you.

Order your goods in plenty of time so you can arrange delivery to suit.

Always include the postcode in a delivery address.

DPD and Interlink are the only parcel carriers in the marketplace to offer advance text notification of delivery with an option for the receiver to change delivery to a more convenient date, all via text. Not only does this mean great customer service, it’s good for the environment as more right-first-time deliveries are made, fewer delivery journeys mean less fuel and lower carbon emissions.

Jo Evans, Managing Director of IMRG commented: “For online retailers and consumers the current economic climate will prove a testing time. However, shoppers looking to make the most out of their squeezed spending resources will find that buying online gives them the opportunity to find and compare products and prices easily and efficiently. The IMRG online retailers will need to ensure as well, that they are prepared and ready to meet their customers’ requirements by providing good product display and availability, with easy to follow payment and delivery information.”