Christmas presents are bought even in bad times. The German Trade Association expects sales in the Christmas business to be 120.3 billion euros in Germany alone. According to a current, representative ESET survey, online retail is continuing to grow: five out of six consumers will buy gifts for their loved ones online this year.
Christmas presents fuel online retail
Compared to the ESET 2020 survey, this is an increase of 5.4 percentage points. The biggest fears of online shoppers are identity theft (32.4 percent) and fraud by fake shops (31.6 percent). Ratings and testimonials from other customers are an important factor in the purchase decision for over 60 percent of those surveyed. The most popular device for shopping is the desktop PC, which almost one in three consumers use to hunt for bargains.
Stationary retail is suffering – fraudsters are waiting online
“Things have certainly not become easier for stationary retail this year, especially as online retail continues to grow in the important year-end business. However, when it comes to bargain hunting, consumers should be careful. Because: Cybercriminals have marked the Christmas season in red on their calendars. We are already seeing a sharp increase in supposed shipping confirmations or emails from logistics service providers that are intended to entice people to enter personal data or open attachments. Especially in these weeks, consumers are increasingly looking for gifts and are eagerly awaiting delivery. We expect an increase in supposed bargains and fake shops. Consumers should pay close attention, especially on the marketplaces of large online retailers, as fraudsters are always lurking here.”
Thorsten Urbanski, security expert at ESET
Online shoppers' biggest fear: identity theft
Identity theft, i.e. the theft and misuse of personal data, for example to conclude contracts or make purchases online, is the greatest fear of one in three internet users. If consumers become victims of these thieves, it means a lot of trouble and stress to curb the misuse of their own data. Fraud through fake shops follows closely behind at 31.6 percent. New online shops appear every day, and there are always scammers among them. Fake shops usually attract attention with bargain offers. It is especially important to be suspicious of offers that seem too good. Otherwise, money and personal data are gone. In third place is the fear of fake reviews (15.5 percent).

Experience reports are the main purchase criterion
Ratings and testimonials from other customers are an important factor in the purchase decision for a good two out of three consumers. This is followed by around 35 percent of whether the connection to the shop is encrypted with HTTPS, whether there is an imprint or terms and conditions, where the seller is located or whether quality seals and certificates are available. Around 15 percent of consumers pay no attention to any of these characteristics.
Five out of six consumers buy Christmas presents online
Eight out of ten respondents buy their Christmas presents online. This is a further increase of 5.4 percentage points compared to the ESET survey from 2020 (77.1 percent). The proportion of consumers who buy their gifts in brick-and-mortar stores has remained the same at around eleven percent. This year, fewer respondents are not buying gifts.
PCs and laptops are the most popular shopping tool
The desktop PC (31.5 percent) and the laptop (23.7 percent) are the most popular devices when shopping for Christmas gifts. This is followed by the smartphone with 20.7 percent and the tablet with 7.1 percent. The result is not surprising, as these devices for online shopping are clearer and easier to use than mobile devices.

Three tips from the experts
- Be careful with online marketplaces: Fraudsters are also lurking on Amazon and Co. Often the items on offer can only be ordered after prior contact via email and cannot - as is usual - be placed directly in the shopping cart. Another indication that should ring your alarm bells immediately: if the provider wants to circumvent the payment methods offered by the platform operator. Fraudsters often entice you with additional discounts if you pay in advance. Instead of the bargain you were hoping for, you are usually left with the financial damage.
- Be careful with extremely cheap offers: Is the price too good to be true? Then you should pay close attention! Because most of the time these are counterfeit products or a fake shop. If you are unsure, research on the Internet (for example https://www.trustedshops.de ) to see whether the provider is reputable. Consumer advice centers can also help here. There is also a list of fraudulent shops here: https://www.watchlist-internet.at/liste-betruegerischer-shops/
- Check the shop carefully: Before buying, take a close look at the online shops and the payment systems offered. Please make sure that there is a secure connection so that the data is transmitted encrypted. You can easily recognize this by the padlock and the abbreviation “https” in the address bar. You should also check whether the correct address of the online shop can be seen in the address bar. Otherwise it could be a counterfeit from the original shop.
About the survey
For the representative survey, ESET surveyed 1,000 men and women of different ages. The online survey was carried out by the market research institute Omniquest on behalf of the European IT security company.
Source:
ESET Germany
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