Safer Internet Day: Half of Brazilians stop buying because of lack of trust in applications or websites, says Serasa Experian

The increasing digitization of consumption has revealed a worrying paradox: while the volume of online purchases increases, the sense of security of consumers decreases. According to the Digital Identity and Fraud Report 2024 of Serasa Experian, the first and largest datatech in Brazil, 48% of respondents have already given up a purchase for lack of trust in the site or application. Even so, the activity registered an average growth of 1.6 percentage point in 2024 compared to 2023. Almost half (48%) declared to make between 1 and 3rd month effective purchases.

This scenario indicates that, despite the convenience of digitization, consumers still do not feel fully protected. “A growing digitization has brought numerous benefits, both for companies and consumers, but has also exposed vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. With these insights, the opportunity arises for companies to invest in robust authentication and fraud prevention solutions to ensure consumer confidence in the online environment”, comments Serasa Experian Director of Authentication and Fraud Prevention Products, Caio Rocha.

What do consumers fear most when buying online?

The most cited fears by respondents when making an online purchase were “eu buy on a fake website” (41%), “someone buy something using my” data (41%) and “my data leak” (37%), situations that continue to impact the digital experience of users.

Physical biometrics as a reliable authentication solution

About 69% of consumers consider it essential that companies can identify them accurately in the online environment. This factor becomes even more crucial in the face of increased fraud attempts, which, according to the Serasa Experian Fraud Attempt Indicator for November 2024, exceeded the mark of one million incidents in the month, the equivalent of one occurrence every 2.5 seconds. Given this scenario, companies need to strengthen their protection solutions without compromising the user experience.

The research reveals that authentication methods become even more essential for security, such as physical biometrics, which includes facial recognition, fingerprint and voice recognition: 7 out of 10 consumers (71.8%) claim to feel safe when using the technology and its use has grown significantly in the last year, from 59% to 67%. Already behavioral biometrics (which analyzes patterns such as screen pressure, typing and variations in the voice 59% is still little known by users.

With the advancement of authentication technologies, Rocha points out that investing in digital security is no longer a differential to become an imperative need for companies seeking to ensure the trust of their customers and mitigate fraud risks.“Physical biometrics is a reliable solution because it is tangible and difficult to replicate, but, in the face of the dynamic scenario of fraud in Brazil, effective prevention requires a layered strategy. Knowing the consumer beyond identity allows identifying behavior patterns, reducing friction and strengthening security. In Serasa Experian, intelligence tied to technologies is a differential, combining facial biometrics, device analysis, verification and analytical intelligence to prevent fraud and ensure the security of fraud, thus protecting the user experience and compromising.