Covid drives surge in online shopping

New Delhi : There is a sharp rise in online shopping nationwide due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 68 per cent reporting an increase since Covid-19 struck, a survey by cybersecurity firm McAfee said on Tuesday.

The results, however, showed that consumers are not adequately safeguarding themselves online, considering only a quarter of the shoppers use online security solutions.

While over half of Indians feel cyber scams are more prevalent during the holiday season, yet, 42.3 per cent are planning to do more of their holiday shopping online, showed the findings of the "2020 Holiday Season: State of Today's Digital e-Shopper" India survey.

"Shopping behaviours continue to evolve, with consumers skipping in-store purchases to a great extent and shifting a bulk of their festive purchases online," Venkat Krishnapur, Vice President of Engineering and Managing Director, McAfee India, said in a statement.

"With cybercriminals looking to take advantage of this surge in online transactions, it is crucial that users stay mindful of potential risks and undertake necessary steps to protect themselves and their families this holiday season."

The report is based on a survey of 1,000 adults over the age of 18 in India between October 9 and 19. McAfee Labs recently said that it observed 419 threats per minute in Q2 of 2020, an increase of almost 12 per cent over the previous quarter. (IANS)