As U.S. consumers make their way to malls and retail websites this holiday season, they do so with increasing concerns about the safety and security of their personal information.
In fact, more than half of consumers are either unsure or not confident at all in the security of their personal information when shopping both in-store (58 percent) and online (63 percent), according to the 2014 Holiday Shopping Survey from KPMG.
The audit, tax and advisory firm says this sentiment is expected to influence holiday shopping behavior: More than a quarter of consumers (27 percent) said they will not shop at a store that has previously experienced a cyberattack if they can find a desired product elsewhere; 8 percent refused to shop at these stores altogether.
Survey results indicated that consumer holiday spending overall will be relatively flat, with approximately two-thirds of U.S. consumers planning to spend about the same amount as last year, and the remaining one-third split between those who expect to spend more (15 percent) and those who expect to spend less (18 percent).
Of those surveyed, 65 percent said that they will make holiday purchases in-store, while 51 percent said they would buy online. Of online buyers, 88 percent said they will shop from home.
Primary research for KPMG’s 2014 Holiday Shopping Survey was conducted online during November 2014 and included approximately 1,400 U.S. consumers. Data was analyzed by professionals at KPMG.
