E-commerce in Spain has climbed 71.4 percent in 2007, with a turnover of EUR 4.7 billion, according to a study by the National Observatory for Telecommunication and Information Society.

The growth is attributable to the sharp increase in the number of online shoppers, which surpassed 8 million in 2007. Of the overall internet user base, the number of online shoppers aged 15 and over increased from 27.3 percent to nearly 40 percent in December 2007. Throughout the year, each online shopper made nearly 4.9 purchases on average, reaching almost EUR 595.

More than 93.7 percent of those who made purchases over the internet were satisfied with their buying experience. The study also shows that online shoppers make more intensive use of the internet. Two-thirds access the network daily, versus 42.1 percent of non-buyers, and 77 percent of online shoppers use an ADSL connection, versus 62 percent of non-buyers. Clear information about consumer rights (78%), the sales contract (72.6%) or the product to be acquired and expenses related to the purchase (75%) are significant aspects for individuals who made online purchases during 2007. Other important aspects for them are the clear communication of security mechanisms (76.4%), or if the company is fully identified (77.3%).

Around 84.3 percent of the overall Spanish online shoppers make their online purchases from home, and the majority (54%) prefer to use their bank card as payment method.

The tourism and leisure sectors still lead the e-commerce market, with transport tickets, concert tickets and booking accommodation being the most purchased items via the internet, followed by electronics products, clothes and accessories, books, DVD, music or video games.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - (Business Wire) Online consumers in English-speaking countries are the most frequent victims of identity theft, twice the rate of France, Germany and Spain, according to a new study released by PayPal. With the holiday season fast approaching, three quarters of online shoppers worldwide are concerned about online scams or identity theft. The research, conducted by Ipsos, examined online security fears and habits in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The survey found that 10 percent of online shoppers in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. had experienced identity theft. This compares with only five percent in France, Germany and Spain. Approximately 25 percent of online shoppers in the three English-speaking countries knew friends or family who had their identities stolen.

“This survey shows that while concerns about ID theft form a universal language, more identity theft tends to occur in countries where a higher percentage of e-commerce is concentrated,” said Michael Barrett, chief information security officer for PayPal. “But e-commerce is growing in prominence around the world, and fraudsters will likely follow the money. Consumers everywhere can stay one step ahead and better protect themselves online by following a few simple tips.”

While choosing and safeguarding passwords is one of the most important factors to online security, attitudes and behaviors vary greatly between cultures. German consumers are the most vigilant with passwords. Only about one in four (28 percent) has ever shared an account password with a family member or friend. This compares with 60 percent of Americans and 56 percent of French consumers who shared passwords. Consequently, Germans also experienced the fewest problems with identity theft -- only three percent of German consumers have experienced identity theft, and fewer than one in 10 knows someone who has.

Almost half of consumers in all countries surveyed use important dates, family member names, nicknames or pets’ names as their online passwords. French and Spanish consumers are most lax when it comes to updating their passwords. Sixty-one percent of French consumers and 63 percent of Spanish consumers change their passwords less than once per year or only when required to do so.

The survey found that about 40 percent of consumers in all six countries use social networking sites, and some of these consumers display personal information that they also use for passwords. More than one in four French consumers display their birth dates on social networking sites and also use birth dates as online passwords. Less than 10 percent of consumers in the UK and Canada do the same.

Other Global Findings

• Spanish consumers are relatively new to e-commerce, and more than 80 percent of those respondents said they are concerned that products purchased online will not be as pictured or expected, will be of poor quality, or will not arrive at all.
• Privacy is the number one concern among Canadians, with more than half (53 percent) indicating that they are “very concerned” about protecting their privacy.
• Consumers in Germany, the UK and Canada are least likely to store their passwords on their browsers (70 percent, 61 percent and 58 percent, respectively, never do so). About half of the consumers in the U.S., France and Spain store passwords on their browsers.
• Americans are most likely to write down their passwords in order to remember them (36 percent do so). Fewer than 20 percent of consumers in all other countries surveyed write down passwords.
• More than half of all consumers receive financial statements in the mail. Only 17 percent of consumers in France and 23 percent of consumers in Spain own shredders, compared to a large majority in all other countries.

Atlanta and London, Oct. 24, 2008 -- Elavon, a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) and formerly known as NOVA Information Systems, is the first pan-European acquirer to successfully convert its merchant services business onto one international processing platform.

Where competitors may operate as many as 26 authorization and settlement platforms, Elavon's European conversion of multiple, disparate legacy processing systems into a single, international processing platform lends new meaning to the phrase, "economies of scale." As a result of rapid expansion via acquisitions, strategic alliances and joint ventures, Elavon - like many of its pan-European competitors - utilized multiple IT processing platforms to support its cross-border and multi-currency international business and its domestic businesses in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom.

By replacing multiple processing platforms obtained through acquisitions with one consolidated international processing platform, Elavon is better able to provide seamless support to global retailers and other customers with multi-jurisdiction businesses.  With the successful systems migration of over 210,000 European merchants, virtually all of Elavon's international acquiring volume is now processed on a single platform.

"Now Elavon owns the entire payment process, end-to-end. That means our merchants are supported by global presence and capabilities with local market support," said Stuart C. Harvey, Jr. CEO of Elavon. "We are the one source for all merchant needs from processing and settlement to underwriting, risk services, customer support, reporting, voice authorization, and assistance with chargebacks."

The creation of IPP enables Elavon to more quickly respond to emerging technology initiatives like mobile commerce, industry regulations, like SEPA, security requirements such as PCI-DSS and domestic scheme standards. The efforts associated with system design, development, testing, certification and maintenance are now supported through one development and release cycle, reducing the margin of error and speeding time to market. "Beyond the bottom-line impact, our international processing platform enables Elavon to provide better service to partners and customers across the globe," said Harvey. "It has already proven to be a differentiating factor in competitive situations, lending us competitive edge to offer global organizations a single-source provider of payment services, regardless of where they operate their business."

The foundation for Elavon's continued global expansion, the development of the international processing platform also enables Elavon to capitalize on the growth of electronic transactions in emerging markets, as well as the emerging globalization of the payments industry overall.About Elavon: Elavon's Global Acquiring Solutions organization is a part of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB).

Elavon provides end-to-end payment processing services to more than one million merchants in the United States, Europe, Canada and Puerto Rico. Solutions include credit and debit card processing, electronic check services, gift cards, dynamic currency conversion, multi-currency support, and cross-border acquiring. Elavon's services are marketed through multiple alliance partner channels including financial institutions, trade associations and ISOs.

Elavon has solutions to meet the needs of merchants in specialized markets including small business, retail, hospitality/T&E, health care, education and the public sector. Elavon represents the former brands of NOVA Information Systems and its affiliates FHMS and euroConex.

For more information about Elavon visit www.elavon.com .

About L'Occitane: Since 1976 L'Occitane has drawn inspiration from Mediterranean art de vivre and traditional Provencal techniques to create natural beauty products devoted to well-being and the pleasure of taking care of oneself. Nurtured by encounters and journeys, the brand has grown and developed. While it continues to focus on authentic products, it also chooses to work with committed producers who set rigorous standards. There is a story behind all of our products, most often related to the land of Provence: an ancient technique (essential oils), an AOC controlled-origin label (lavender, olive), a forgotten traditional cultivation (almond) or, as in Burkina Faso, Africa, a sustainable development program (shea butter). For more information about L'Occitane visit usa.loccitane.com .

Source: Company press release.