Boston, MA -- (SBWire) -- 12/17/2012 --Internet retailers in the USA and Canada are expecting a record year of spending this holiday season despite serious concerns regarding the economy. Also of concern to online merchants: recent findings show that while as many as 90% of people are now shopping online, consumers still have serious fears about trusting unfamiliar online retailers.

This shopping season, market research firm eMarketer projects a 16.8% increase in online holiday shopping despite a 13% increase in identity fraud cases over the previous year.

Consumers have caught wind of this trend and are becoming more particular when deciding which online retailers to work with. The 2012 Cisco Connected World Technology Report, which complies survey data from people worldwide age 18-30, recently published some alarming results regarding trust and Internet shopping. Cisco found that while 90% of those surveyed did shop online, a massive 75% said they do not trust most websites in areas such as data security/privacy.

These statistics have many online retailers rushing to register their website with a provider of website trust seals. Adding a trust seal to an e-commerce website is a standard method employed in the industry to gain credibility and earn customer trust. VeraSafe, a major provider of trust seals has responded to this trend by offering a 30-day complimentary trial subscription during the holiday shopping season, and beyond.

Matthew Joseph, President of VeraSafe recently made a statement on the topic, saying “VeraSafe is proud to be a leader in providing verified website trust seals to qualified e-commerce merchants, and our 30-day complimentary trial is a great way for web-stores to see what happens when they resolve customer concerns of trust and privacy.”

He also offered a bit of advice to online shoppers this holiday season looking to stay safe: “Just take a minute before you buy to make sure your information is secure: update your anti-virus software, don't give out your social security number, and always look for a trust seal.”

While online shopping is set to break records this year, small and medium sized e-tailers will have to go to extra lengths to win the trust of customers. Given the large percentage of shoppers who don’t trust most websites, online merchants are increasingly turning to website trust seals to keep their businesses competitive and attract more revenue.