Online payment has gained huge international attraction because they have enable exchanges of money electronically. However, the use of credit card or debit card in online shopping poses a security threat (Rainie et al., 2013). Customers have raised the concerns of using these cards in online transactions. The security of online transactions has been well studied (Niranjanamurthy " Chahar, 2013).
Gaps in Knowledge
Nonetheless, there is paucity of information on the attitudes of users on the security of debit and credit cards when used in online shopping. Existing studies have noted that without proper precautions, the payment information of the customer can exposed to fraudsters and hackers who compromise the safety. For instance, the study by Yang et al., (2015) examined the perceived risks of younger customers using online systems in China but there is no study has scrutinized how students using debit card or credit card in online shopping believe on its safety (Yang et al., 2015).
As the development of e-commerce grows, incidences of fraudulent abuse of payment networks and theft of data have increased. The mode of payment is appealing to younger generation because it easier and faster than conventional methods (Rainie et al., 2013). On the contrary, the use of credit cards in online transactions has increased the chances of robbery of personal information. Hackers use computer viruses that direct users to fake websites, which increases chances of theft. In this regard, the study seeks to answer the following: Do students who use credit card or debit card in online shopping tend to believe online payment is secure? Due to breach of the privacy of the customers has the potential to increase the financial risks, an empirical research on the perception of safety of credit card or debit card in online shopping will be essential for not only students but businesses using this modes (Yang et al., 2015).
Plan to fill the gap
The research attempts to examine the students’ perceived security risks for credit cards or debit card for online payments. The study will use descriptive cross-sectional study design (Rainie et al., 2013). The study design was selected because it allowed for close exploration of the topic of study. It also empowered the researcher to determine the students’ beliefs regarding the security of credit cards for online payments at those particular points. The sample size will be 150 students who will be randomly selected in the university. Simple random sampling was utilized because it gave the investigator equal opportunities to be selected. The data will be collected using questionnaires (Niranjanamurthy " Chahar, 2013).
Evaluate the plan
The perceived security risk of using credit cards and debit cards for online shopping among students will be analyzed using data collected from the survey. It is hypothesized that students are hesitant to use credit cards for online shopping because of uncertainties and perception of security risks. Therefore, such risks influence the students’ trust and willingness to use these methods.
References
Niranjanamurthy, M., " Chahar, D. D. (2013). The study of e-commerce security issues and solutions. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering, 2(7).
Rainie, L., Kiesler, S., Kang, R., Madden, M., Duggan, M., Brown, S., " Dabbish, L. (2013). Anonymity, privacy, and security online. Pew Research Center, 5.
Yang, Q., Pang, C., Liu, L., Yen, D. C., " Tarn, J. M. (2015). Exploring consumer perceived risk and trust for online payments: An empirical study in China’s younger generation. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, 9-24.
