No longer is online shopping considered a convenience – for most people, it’s a way of life. Were you aware that over 83% of consumers in the U.S. purchased something through Amazon in the past six months? However, as online shopping becomes more and more mainstream, the risks and security concerns grow, as well.

Consider this:
• 75% of consumers believe retailers are collecting personal information
• 7 out of 10 customers would opt not to share personal data even if they no longer received special offers
• Over 50% of consumers believe their browsing history data is collected by retailers

While this is true, there are things you can do to keep your personal information private while still enjoying all the perks of online shopping.

Research First. Before buying anything online, do your research. Look at the company you are buying from and past customer reviews. Look at third-party sites for other information, too.

Protect Your Passwords. Make sure you take additional steps to protect any passwords you create. If you aren’t careful with password creation, you are making yourself a target. To make sure your passwords protect you, do the following:

• Use a mix of letters, caps, numbers, and special characters
• The more random, the stronger and safer the password is
• Don’t share it
• Don’t use the same password for more than one site
• If needed, use a password manager

Look for the Lockdown. Only shop for sites that have the SSL – secure socket layer – of protection. This is the standard protocol that will encrypt your information. You can easily tell if a website has this by the URL, as sites with the SSL will start with “HTTPS.”

By using the tips here, you can feel confident that your online shopping experience will be positive and that your data won’t be compromised in any way.