WHILE Australia ranks fifth worldwide in terms of Internet use – with 45 per cent penetration – it lags behind in online shopping with less than 10 per cent of Australians buying on the Internet.
Internet Business Corporation believes concerns about security remained the major barrier to e-commerce.
IBC managing director Richard Keeves said the company recently gained a licence from Melbourne IT to provide Verisign’s web server digital certificates, which incorporate the strongest available encryption, 128-BIT.
Industry sources say digital certificates provide the most secure means available for transacting business over the Internet.
IBC will hold a seminar entitled How to Protect Yourself, Your Customers and Your Business on November 22 at the Australian Institute of Management.
Mr Keeves said another interesting trend to recently emerge was the frequent revamping of websites.
“Web user demands and expectations are continually increasing – both aesthetically and functionally – so businesses have to completely revamp their websites more often to avoid becoming stale,” Mr Keeves said.
Businesses tended to totally revise their websites every two to three years, now some are doing it every three to six months, he said.