Ping Identity, a leading provider of seamless and secure digital experiences, has released its annual survey which evaluates Australian consumer sentiment around engaging with brands online.

The report surveyed 1,600 adult Australians and identified rising concern about the risk of identity fraud during the holiday season.

According to the latest findings, 44 % are more concerned about fraud while online shopping during the holiday season than at other times of year. Australians are taking active steps to protect their personal information: 18 % said they paid with gift cards; 45 % only shopped at reputable stores with which they were already familiar; and 36 per cent were on the look-out for suspicious phishing links.

“In recent years, Australians have embraced online shopping wholeheartedly and it’s responsible for a steadily increasing proportion of the total consumer spend. But, following a series of high-profile data leaks, consumers have become alert to the risk of fraud and it has them worried. They want to continue to enjoy the convenience of shopping online, particularly over the holiday season, but they also want assurance that the information they share with retailers is secure,” said Ashley Diffey, Ping Identity VP Sales APAC and Japan.

“To retain their confidence and trust, retailers need to create easy, secure and personalised buying experiences that alleviate security concerns, without collecting too much personal data.”

Key Australian findings underline the importance of robust identity verification measures while shopping online:

• 41 % said they would feel more protected against fraud if businesses offered biometric authentication
• 50 % felt more secure when multi-factor authentication is deployed
• 50 % said one-time log-in codes via text or email would increase their comfort level.

While a fake Santa may be easy to spot, the prospect of bad actors using artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate them online has Australian consumers worried. In fact, 53% are concerned about the possible use of AI technology to create impersonations. Additionally:

• 53% say the use of MFA makes them feel better about a business because it suggests that protecting their data is a priority
• 52% were comfortable sharing a range of personal information, including their gender, age, phone number and date of birth with retailers
• Only 9 % of consumers have full trust in the organisations that manage their identity data.

“Many Australians have learnt the hard way that the personal information they share with businesses can be compromised. This Christmas, we can expect to see consumers exercising much more caution around their online purchasing choices,” said Diffey.

About Ping Identity

At Ping Identity, we believe in making digital experiences both secure and seamless for all users, without compromise. That's digital freedom. We let enterprises combine our best-in-class identity solutions with third-party services they already use to remove passwords, prevent fraud, support Zero Trust, or anything in between. This can be accomplished through a simple drag-and-drop canvas. That's why more than half of the Fortune 100 choose Ping Identity to protect digital interactions for their users while making experiences frictionless. On August 23, 2023, Ping Identity and ForgeRock joined together to deliver more choice, deeper expertise, and a more complete identity solution for customers and partners.