Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The majority of antivirus products are now being purchased online, new research has indicated.
According to the NPD Group's Security Software Topical Report, online downloads of network security and antivirus software now account for 62 per cent of all sales in the market.
Other statistics indicated that more than half of all purchases are conducted directly through vendor's websites.
Respondents to the study noted that there most prominent security concerns were antivirus protection (80 per cent), followed by identity theft prevention (73 per cent).
Meanwhile, in terms of physical purchases, 62 per cent of sales were made directly off the shelf, while 25 per cent came with the purchase of a new PC.
Research from the group indicated a high level of awareness among buyers about the various capabilities of antivirus products, although only 32 per cent said they understood what a virus signature update was.
An earlier study, published by the firm last month, showed that spending on technology in the US had also bounced back in May after four months of flat sales.
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