E-COMMERCE AND SECURITY CONCERNS A SURVEY

Transcription

1 ISSN No X An Indexed Refereed Journal of Higher Education Towards Excellence UGC-ACADEMIC STAFF COLLEGE, GUJARAT UNIVERSITY, AHMEDABAD, INDIA E-COMMERCE AND SECURITY CONCERNS A SURVEY Mr. Jamshid R. Marolia Dr. Hardikkumar V. Desai Abstract E-commerce is very popular now-a-days to purchase products/services. Everything is going to be done electronically. E-commerce gives a very different opportunity to do business electronically; called E-Business. At the same time security on web is a prime concern for the consumer. The paper focuses on the security on the web. The Researchers have used survey method to know the perception of the user regarding this security fear and also suggests steps to overcome this obstacle. Keywords e-commerce, B2B, B2C, C2C, HTTPS, SSL, OTP, Verification by VISA/MASTER 1. INTRODUCTION In the modern times E-commerce is giving a tough competition to the traditional trade and business. Everything at your doorstep at fewer prices gives various choices to customer but at the same time customer is worried regarding the payment security, due to lack of trust on the internet. This is referred to as security fear July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 67

2 1.1 Transaction on Net There are various types of commercial transactions done on internet. Major are as follows Business 2 Business (B2B): B2B means, transaction between businesses for commercial aspect Business 2 Customer (B2C): B2C means, transaction between a company (business) and consumer (end user) Customer to Customer (C2C): C2C means, transaction between customers In this paper, the researchers have focused on B2C type of transaction. 1.2 Security on web HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) : HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol over which data is sent between your browser and the website that you are connected to. The 'S' at the end of HTTPS stands for 'Secure'. It means all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted. HTTPS is often used to protect highly confidential online transactions like online banking and online shopping order forms. [1] SSL (Secure Socket Layer): SSL, is a standard security technology for establishing an encrypted links between a server and a client typically a web server (website) and a browser; or a mail server and a mail client. [2] July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 68

3 1.2.3 OTP (One Time Password): An OTP is a password that is valid for only one login session or transaction. OTPs avoid a number of shortcomings that are associated with traditional (static) passwords. The most important shortcoming that is addressed by OTPs is that, in contrast to static passwords, they are not vulnerable to replay attacks. This means that a potential intruder who manages to record an OTP that was already used to log into a service or to conduct a transaction will not be able to abuse it, since it will be no longer valid. On the downside, OTPs are difficult for human beings to memorize. Therefore they require additional technology to work. In some mathematical algorithm schemes, it is possible for the user to provide the server with a static key for use as an encryption key, by only sending a one-time password. [3].Reserve bank of India also provides guideline for online banking in which they have suggested payment portals to issue OTP [4] D secure access (Verification by Visa /MasterCard Secure Code) 3-D Secure is an XML-based protocol designed to be an additional security layer for online credit and debit card transactions. It was originally developed by Arcot Systems, Inc and first deployed [5] by Visa with the intention of improving the security of Internet payments and is offered to customers under the name Verified by Visa. Services based on the protocol have also been adopted by MasterCard as MasterCard Secure Code. 2. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The area of research emphasize on Navsari city. It is situated near Surat district of Gujarat State. Navsari is one of the 3-tier cities in India, which is devoting fast. The researchers were keen to know whether E-commerce has reached here. This survey also focuses on the experience of using e-commerce and the problems faced by the users July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 69

4 2.1 Sample Size and structure The survey was conducted in Navsari city by survey method using a balanced questionnaire. The sample size of 250 respondents has been selected as it represents the population in an appropriate manner for the concerned survey Demographic Profile of the Sample Gender Females. The survey revealed that out of total 250 respondents, 172 were Males and 78 were Age 47 respondents were of 21 years and below; amongst the age group of 22 to 35 there were 89 respondents; 75 respondents under the age group of 36 to 50 and 39 respondents were above 51 years Occupation The data collected has been represented in the following table and chart. Occupation Respondents Student 49 Service 80 Business 67 July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 70

5 Housewife 42 Retired 12 Total 250 [Table 1 - Occupation] Occupation Student Service Business Housewife Retired 5% 17% 19% 27% 32% [Chart 1 Occupation] 3. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS 3.1 Age-Gender 2x2 classification Below is a tabular representation of the age wise and gender wise distribution of the data. AGE 16 to to to and above TOTAL Male Female July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 71

6 Total [Table 2 Age-Gender wise distribution] From the data collected it is seen that majority of the users are in the age group of 22 to 50 years. The youth and adult have largely contributed in the survey. 3.2 Occupation based Usage To get a better insight of the issue, the users and the non-users were bifurcated as per the occupation. The details about the users and non-users about E-commerce in the above mentioned categories were as follows Occupation Users Non-users Total Student Service Business Housewife Retired Total [Table 3 Occupation Usage analysis] Occupation wise usage Non-users Users [Chart 2 - Occupation Usage analysis] July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 72

7 3.3 Reasons for not using E-commerce Impediments About 14% of the respondents were not using E-Commerce thought they were fully aware of such services. The reasons were inquired through the questionnaire as to why did they not use E- commerce services. Amongst the non-users main concern were found to be as follows. Reasons Respondents Threat of breach of security 20 Lack of availability 7 Not Computer Savvy ( prefer traditional methods) 6 Others 2 Total 35 [Table 4 Barriers in the development of E-Commerce] Reasons for not using E-commerce Others Not Computer Savvy ( prefer traditional methods) Lack of availability Threat of breach of security [Chart 3 - Barriers in the development of E-Commerce] July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 73

8 From the above analysis it seems that security was the main concern for not using the e- commerce services. If awareness is spread, as regards to security, than this impediment could be overcome. 3.4 Sector wise Usage classification Amongst the users, the researcher s intent to find out the area where E-commerce is used less as compared to other areas. The breakup of the usage category in the users of e-commerce revealed following statistics Category Sector Used Not Used Total A Railway/Air/Bus ticket booking B Shopping through shopping portals (amazon, flipkart, snapdeal etc.) C Others (movie ticketing etc) [Table 5 Sector wise usage classification] Transaction frequency Yes No A B C July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 74

9 [Chart 4- Sector wise usage classification] As shown in the table and the chart above, it is seen that the maximum use was on Railway ticket booking sites and less on shopping portals. Here too the reason was the element of distrust upon the shopping portals. It seems that trust on Govt. portal is more than private websites. 3.5 Payment options The users were aware of different modes of payment. Most of them preferred the C.O.D. option wherever it was available. Payment Mode Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Rank 4 Rank 5 Cash on delivery Net banking Credit card Debit card E-wallet/others [Table 6 Payment Options] Respondents were asked to give preference to the most used method of payment. The above table gives the detailed analysis of the ranks given to various modes of payment. Cash on delivery was the most popular method of payment by getting 85 1 st ranks. Credit cards were the least preferred on the 1 st rank. E-wallet was the last preferred option for most of the respondents i.e. 78, due to lack of awareness. July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 75

10 No of Respondents Towards Excellence: An Indexed Refereed Journal of Higher Education / Mr. Jamsheed Marolia & Dr. Rank Preference on various Payment Options Cash on delivery 60 Net banking Credit card Debit card E-wallet/others Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Rank 4 Rank 5 [Chart 5- Rank Preference] 4. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS Based on the survey about the perceptions of the users and non users of e-commerce the researchers feel that most of the people do treat e-commerece as a FACILITY which is useful to them but they are reluctant to use it as freely as brick and mortar system. The major impediment seems to be a psychological block in the form of distrust. E-commerce websites have started focusing on various safety and security measures however a vigorous propaganda in the way of awareness campaign programs need to be conducted. If the hurdles are crossed, a glorious future awaits the rising sun of e-commerce. July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 76

11 REFERNCES [1]. [2]. [3]. EOTP Static Key Transfer. Defuse.ca ( ). Retrieved on [4]. &Mode=0 [5]. Mr. Jamshid R. Marolia Assistant Professor, Naran Lala College of Commerce & Management, Navsari, India. & Dr. Hardikkumar V. Desai Assistant Professor, Naran Lala College of Professional and Applied Sciences, Navsari, India. July, VOL.8. ISSUE NO. 2 Page 77