Trust Takes the Lead: Half of UK Shoppers Have Abandoned Online Purchases Over Security Concerns
By Dominic Sow · 18 November 2025
In a new report, Burbank and YouGov reveal that trust, not speed, now decides the sale at the online checkout.
As retailers gear up for Black Friday and the Christmas rush, a timely new study from Burbank and YouGov reveals that more than half of UK shoppers have abandoned an online purchase over security fears, while nearly 60 per cent refuse to pay on unfamiliar sites.
The report, Make Trust Pay, finds that fear of payment fraud has become one of the biggest barriers to conversion, making trust the most valuable currency in online commerce.
Key findings from the report include:
- Security fear drives abandonment: Over 50% of consumers say they have abandoned an online purchase due to security concerns.
- Brand familiarity matters: Nearly 60% refuse to pay on sites they do not recognise.
- Verification fatigue is real: 52% say step-heavy ID checks are irritating or confusing, and close to half of 45–54 year olds view pop-up prompts as unsafe.
- Growing appetite for familiar flows: 56% of consumers say they’d be comfortable confirming their identity when paying online a PIN
- Trust fixes conversion: 49% who have abandoned an online purchase due to concerns of fraud would complete the purchase if checkout mirrored in-store payment options.
The data for Make Trust Pay was collected by YouGov on behalf of Burbank between 9 and 10 September 2025. In total, 2,140 UK adults online were surveyed about their attitudes towards digital commerce, online payments, and technologies that could improve checkout conversion. The sample was nationally representative by age, gender, region, and social grade, using YouGov’s industry-leading online panel methodology.
Alongside its findings on the importance of security and trust, the study reveals a clear generational divide. Older shoppers hold the greatest spending power but feel the least secure online, while younger consumers are more open to different payment methods yet still expect checkout experiences to be logical,seamless, and trustworthy. Despite these differences, one message is consistent across all age groups: online payment security must be simple, visible, and recognisable.
Speaking on the report, Justin Pike, CEO of Burbank commented: “We commissioned this study with YouGov because payments are being rewired in real time. Embedded analytics, micro-segmentation and generative AI are reshaping risk, and mobile-first behaviour is redefining what ‘good’ looks like at checkout. This isn’t about stats for their own sake, it’s about identifying what’s changing and what meets or beats independent benchmarks.”
Crucially, the report shows that UK consumers are not resistant to change. On the contrary, they are ready to embrace different online payment processes provided they feel both secure and familiar. A majority of respondents said they would be comfortable using a tap and PIN payment process online.
These findings suggest that familiar payment processes, such as tap and PIN, can translate effectively into the digital environment. This is particularly significant for online merchants looking to improve checkout conversions, as nearly half of shoppers who have previously abandoned a purchase for security reasons said they would be more likely to complete the transaction if the online process mirrored the in-store card experience.
“People want online payment experiences that feel as safe and familiar as tapping a card in-store,” said Mr Pike. “To win online, businesses must build the same sense of trust they have long mastered at the counter. Burbank’s Card-Present over Internet® (CPoI®) enables tap and PIN in digital channels, removing typed card entry and step-heavy verification that have been proven to erode confidence.” Companies in this story: Burbank Software
People in this story: Justin Pike