Yahoo! is set to include security ratings on its shopping comparison engine alongside the usual identifiers of pricing and merchant ratings.The search engine is teaming up with Hacker Safe, an assurance of internet security, in its bid to assist customers in selecting secure and reliable sites for shopping.
Under the agreement, listings of retailers will include Hacker Safe seals for those sellers who are currently certified to the necessary security standard.
Director of marketing for Yahoo! Shopping Joe Lazarus commented: "Combining enhanced security information with price, user ratings and merchant reviews helps online shoppers make more informed and trusted buying decisions.
"With the Hacker Safe trustmark included in Yahoo! Shopping listings, consumers can easily identify retailers that have taken additional steps to safeguard customer data."
Data security continues to be a significant factor influencing shoppers' decisions concerning where to buy online, along with price and availability, added ScanAlert chief executive officer Ken Leonard.
According to Josh Silverman, general manager of Shopping.com, often the sites that get the greatest number of clicks are not the cheapest but rather "the ones that have the best balance of value and trust".
Jay Greenberg, ecommerce marketing manager at Franklin Electronic Publishers, expressed confidence in the Hacker Safe trustmark, saying that his company's testing over the past two years has revealed a positive reaction to the symbol.
The Hacker Safe certification is provided by ScanAlert, a company founded in 2001.
