ARLINGTON, VA, October 17, 2001 - Nearly nine in 10 consumers would be more confident making an online purchase from a company that displays a Better Business Bureau OnLine Privacy or Reliability Seal on its Web site, than from a company that does not, according to a new national survey conducted by Greenfield Online.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) name, which is almost universally recognized (93 percent) by online users, also carries great credibility. Eighty-nine percent of Internet users say they would be "more confident" buying from a company with a BBBOnLine Reliability Seal than from a company that does not display the seal. In addition, more than half of online consumers would be "extremely likely" or "very likely" to buy from a company they did not know if the company were a member of the BBB and carried the BBBOnLine Reliability Seal, or if the company carried the BBBOnLine Privacy Seal.

Privacy remains a major concern for those shopping on the Internet. Consumers' biggest worry when they shop online is retaining control over their personal information. Almost three-quarters of online shoppers (72 percent) say they are "extremely concerned" or "very concerned" about having control over the release of their private information after they buy something online. The BBBOnLine Privacy Program facilitates such consumer control.

Consumers themselves say that the BBBOnLine Privacy Seal would make them "much more confident" or "somewhat more confident" when making a purchase online (46 percent and 43 percent, respectively).

"It's surprising how many online businesses don't provide customers with contact addresses or explanations of their refund and exchange policies," said Charles Underhill, COO for BBBOnLine. "Along with a secure ordering process and a clear privacy policy, the survey findings show that these are among the most important requirements shoppers look for when deciding whether to buy online. Without such information, and without experience with a company, shoppers look for third-party assurances. The BBBOnLine Reliability and Privacy Seals provide those assurances."

Additional Survey Findings
The study also found that:

• A secure ordering process would make 56 percent of shoppers more willing to make online purchases.
• About one in three shoppers say clear disclosure of refund and exchange policies and easy-to-find company contact information would make them more willing to buy something online
• One third of shoppers say they make an online purchase at least once a month.

The Better Business Bureau requires a company to adopt these and other consumer-friendly policies as a condition of qualifying to display the BBBOnLine Reliability Seal. Detailed in the BBB Code of Online Business Practices, the policies are intended to guide Internet businesses in how to meet the needs of online shoppers.

"This study illustrates the great value that a BBBOnLine Reliability or Privacy Seal can add to a company's Web site. And, the findings point to the relevance of the BBB Code of Online Business Practices as a roadmap for online businesses to address consumer protection issues raised by e-commerce," Underhill said. "To online shoppers, the BBB name means trust."

Greenfield Online surveyed a representative sample of 1,000 adult Internet users between Aug. 30 and Sept. 7. For a summary of the survey findings, please contact Porter Novelli.

BBBOnLine Board Members Endorse Efforts to Promote Consumer Trust Online
"Clearly, businesses with an online presence have the ability to greatly increase consumer confidence by qualifying for and displaying BBBOnLine Reliability and Privacy Seals," said Zeke Swift, Global Privacy Director of Proctor & Gamble. "Online shoppers seek a sense of trust and some form of protection, and that's what these seals provide."

"Consumer confidence is the linchpin issue," said Barbara Lawler, Privacy Manager for Hewlett-Packard Company. "Ensuring consumer privacy rights online and developing global processes for online transaction dispute resolution are key drivers in ensuring the success of electronic commerce. HP will continue to work with BBBOnLine to build a marketplace in which consumers and businesses can be confident doing business with one another."

"According to these findings, third-party assurance from a long standing entity such as the Better Business Bureau is very important to consumers. The BBBOnLine by association is a well-known and trusted name that can add real value to a company's Web site. BBBOnLine Privacy and Reliability seals are vital tools in conducting business online and in creating a trusted environment for e-commerce," said Marc Berejka, Senior Corporate Attorney, Federal Government Affairs Manager for Microsoft.

"Visa's partnership with BBBOnLine is central to our efforts in educating consumers about safer ways of buying and selling on the Internet. Consumers are still uncomfortable conducting business on the Web, but clearly privacy policies and third-party assurances are crucial in building trusted relationships online. In the current business and economic climate, it isn't smart business practice for a business to be without them," said Jim McCarthy, Senior Vice President e-Visa of Visa U.S.A.

"Consumers have spoken and have again shown they are concerned about how their personal information is gathered and used online. Intel firmly supports the development and adoption of meaningful privacy practices that will ensure consumer privacy. Effective self-regulatory programs (such as the BBBOnLine Privacy Seal program), the development of privacy-enhancing technologies and the adoption of uniform national privacy legislation are all essential elements in continuing to build confidence in the Internet economy," said Jeff Nicol, Privacy Manager for Intel.

Proctor & Gamble, Visa U.S.A., Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Microsoft are founding sponsors of BBBOnLine, and continue to provide leadership and funding for the non-profit organization's programs to promote trust and confidence on the Internet.

About BBBOnLine
BBBOnLine brings the Better Business Bureau system's 89 years of experience in consumer protection and business self-regulation to e-commerce. Guided by its mission to promote consumer trust on the Internet, and working in concert with the 144 local BBBs in the United States and Canada, BBBOnLine encourages sound and ethical online business practices through its Reliability Program, the BBB Code of Online Business Practices, and the BBBOnLine Privacy Program. Three hundred national and global corporations and 270,000 businesses at the grass-roots level support the Better Business Bureau system. More than 10,000 businesses have qualified to display the BBBOnLine Reliability Seal and more than 850 Web sites have earned the BBBOnLine Privacy Seal.