The No. 1 Reason Consumers Lose Trust in Online Merchants: Stolen Personal Data

How much consumers trust the grocers and retail merchants with which they shop online correlates with how long they have used those merchants’ services, according to “Satisfaction In The Age Of eCommerce,” a PYMNTS and Riskified collaboration based on a survey of 2,153 U.S. consumers.

Get the report: Satisfaction In The Age Of eCommerce

Consumers who have used a merchant for more than five years account for 21% of the consumers who say they are very or extremely trusting of their grocer and 36% of those who say the same of their retailer. These consumers account for smaller shares of those saying they have lower levels of trust.

Those who have a relationship length with a merchant of between one and five years make up 53% of those who say they are somewhat trusting of their grocer and 51% of those who say the same of their retailer. They account for smaller shares of those who say they have a higher or lower level of trust.

Consumers who have been using a merchant for less than a year account for 66% of those who say they are slightly or not at all trusting of online grocers and 36% of those who say the same of online retailers. They make up smaller shares of those who have more trust in the merchants.

chart, trusting online merchants

The key factors that would reduce consumers’ trust in those merchants are personal data being stolen from a merchant and losing money due to fraud. Those issues are cited by 23% and 21% of consumers, respectively, as being the most important feature that would negatively impact their trust.

chart, features that impact consumer trust

Among consumers shopping with online grocery merchants, 24% say personal data being stolen from a merchant would negatively impact their trust, and 19% say the same of losing money due to fraud.

Among those shopping with online retail merchants, 30% say personal data being stolen would negatively impact their trust, and 25% say the same of losing money due to fraud.

chart, features that impact consumer trust