A recent survey has indicated that online shoppers would not shop at a website unless it showed images of the credit cards that it accepts.

According to the online payment firm, PayPal security while shopping online remains a major issue. While simplicity, when shopping online and other factors are becoming more important to shoppers, more than four out of five felt the security of the website was vital.

More than 60 per cent of shoppers stated that they would not shop online if the website did not feature the branding of the credit cards it accepted, such as Visa or MasterCard. Other security features that respondents listed as important included a good refund policy; with two out of three shoppers being put off by sites with complicated return measures.

With various reports indicating that online fraud is growing, consumers are becoming more aware of the issues of buying online, a survey from Egg suggested last month. It found that over 50 per cent of online shoppers intended to use a credit card to insure their goods, while nearly two fifths felt that credit cards offered better protection against cyber crime than other methods.

Cameron McLean, general manager at PayPal said: "There is an onus on e-tailers to ensure their websites are in line with what consumers want - those that listen to feedback and adapt will be the winners. But consumers are not looking for flashy designs, complicated tools and alienating jargon, they simply want a secure website that is easy to use."