Thanks to the vast choice, lots of bargains and the ability to avoid crowded shopping centres, on-line festive shopping is predicted to be big this Christmas. In fact, e-tailers reckon it will be even bigger than last year when UK consumers spent £4.6 billion on-line on presents, food and other festive products. Another piece if research also showed that 37% of people bought at least half of their festive shopping on-line in 2008.

But e-retail industry group IMRG is concerned that on-line consumers know how to make “safe” buys on the web. IMRG’s director of operations, David Smith, is reported as saying: “Consumers love shopping on-line for Christmas. We want to make sure they protect themselves, keep their personal details secure and be certain about the retailer.”

To help consumers, IMRG has set up an Internet Shopping is Safe (ISIS) programme.
E-retailers that sign up to the scheme commit to trading responsibly and have their website and services regularly checked by IMRG. ISIS-accredited retailers now account for around two-thirds of all UK on-line shopping.

You can find out more at www.isisaccreditation.imrg.org, as well as shopping site, Kelkoo.co.uk.