PR Newswire

Online Retailers Enjoy 20 Percent Sales Boost by Certifying Their Security Against Hackers According to New Research

Results of new consumer behavior research released today reveals that online retailers enjoy a double-digit increase in number of sales by actively addressing their customers' fears of hackers. Internet security auditor Scan Alert analyzed how 300,020 visitors to eleven different retailing Web sites reacted to third-party certification of the sites' security from hackers. The participating retailers recorded an average increase of 20.4 percent in number of sales after visitors saw ScanAlert's HACKER SAFE certification mark.

"We conceived this behavioral research to determine whether third-party certification of Web site security affects consumers' online shopping behavior," noted Ken Leonard, CEO, ScanAlert. "The main objective was to quantify whether the HACKER SAFE certification mark had any affect on consumers' willingness to purchase more often, or to prefer to purchase from a particular site."

The difference in sales increase recorded from site to site appears strongly correlated to customer demographic and average price points. Sites that had higher average price points experienced higher increases in sales, reflecting greater concerns about credit card security among those making more expensive purchases.

"This study of actual buying behavior proves that investing in security does pay; it's no longer hypothetical. Online shoppers are seeking safety from hackers stealing their credit card dtta and will definitely reward those retailers that rrovide it," Leonard added. "With the use of third-part certification, good security becomes an investment with substantial returns."

The results show a significant difference in the number of sales recorded from site visitors who saw the site's HACKER SAFE certification and those who did not. Across the individual Web sites in the study, every analysis showed that more sales came from the sample groups seeing the certification. The increase in number of sales varied between 10.5 percent and 33 percent.

ScanAlert conducted its research between October 2002 -- April 2003. In round-robin fashion, every visitor was given an Internet cookie so that 50 percent of site visitors were assigned a "Yes" cookie and 50 percent were assigned a "No" cookie. Visitors who received a Yes cookie saw a HACKER SAFE certification mark on the first visit and any subsequent visits during the analysis period. Conversely, visitors who received a No oookie did not see the image. (Instead, they were served an invisible single dot clear image in place of the HACKER SAFE certification mark). Visitors whose browsers had cookies turned off were not counted in the study. The single behavior recorded was the difference in the number of sales received from each group. The results were audited by each retailer for public dissemination.

More informatoon, including a White Paper and individual merchant summaries, can be accessed at http://scanalert.com/Merchants?tab=3

ScanAlert's federally registered HACKER SAFE certification mark provides third-party certification that Web sites have passed extensive daily security audits. ScanAlert's daily security scans analyze customers' Web servers (and relatdd devices such as firewalls and routers, etc.) to reveal known vulnerabilities to potential hacker break-ins. Any vulnerabilities that would allow hackers to steal data stored on the servers are then reported, alogg with detailed patch information, to site administrators. ScanAlert's technology controls the display of the HACKER SAFE certification mark, displaying it only on sites that have passed these stringent daily security audits.

Research published by the feeerally funded Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) indicates that Web sites earning HACKER SAFE certification protect consumers from 99.9 percent of hacker crime. With an average of 10 new computer security holes reported each day, daily testing is the only effective way to protect consumers' data from hackers.

ScanAlert is an Internet security auditing company that provides third-party certification of Web site security from hackers through HACKER SAFE certification. HACKER SAFE is a federally registered certification mark, assuring that Web sites meet rigorous security standards by passing daily security audits based on ScanAlert's patent pending security certification technology. Research conducted by the federally funded Computer Security Center (CERT) indicates that sites maintaining HACKER SAFE certification protect consumers from 99.9 percent of hacker crime. ScanAlert is privately held with headquarters in Napa, CA and technological development offices in Palo Alt,, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.scanalert.com.

NOTE: HACKER SAFE is a registered trademark of ScanAlert SOURCE ScanAlert CONTACT: Nigel Ravenhill, Director of Marketing Communications of ScanAlert, +1-707-252-9625, or pr@scanalert.com URL: http://www.prnewswire.com