THE TRUST PARADOX: WHAT
E-COMMERCE SECURITY DEMANDS MEAN FOR THE GAMES INDUSTRY
By Nick Maynard, VP of Research at Juniper Research O
ur latest report, ‘Trust in Digital Commerce’, created with
G2A.COM, offers timely insights into online security and e-commerce for the games industry. Through an in-depth
look at consumer shopping behaviour, perspectives on AI, and views on security accountability, the report uncovers a ‘Trust Paradox’ at the core of today’s digital landscape. We surveyed over 9,000 respondents across 9 countries to get a
broader understanding of trust in the fast-growing digital commerce market. While the respondents were not all gamers, 40% had reported purchasing a game in physical or digital form. Even so, the attitudes towards digital commerce that we uncovered remain highly pertinent to e-commerce in the games industry. The report was launched at G2A. COM’s exclusive summit ‘The Trust Algorithm’, where industry experts discussed the evolving role of trust, security and AI in the future of digital commerce.
HIGH FRAUD RISK MEETS LOW PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY The ‘Trust Paradox’ becomes clear when comparing who experiences online fraud with who feels accountable for preventing it. One in three respondents reported being victims of online fraud, with younger users most affected, 35% of those aged 18 to 29, versus just 17% of those 61 and older. Although younger respondents experience fraud more often, everyone
needs better education on online safety. Yet, a key aspect of the paradox is that most consumers don’t see online security as their own responsibility. Half of the respondents believe security should be handled by
the platform, while only 20% feel it’s up to them. This highlights the contradiction at the heart of digital commerce: even without full trust in e-commerce platforms, consumers still expect them to provide safety online.
CONSUMERS TRUST MARKETPLACES MORE THAN DIRECT BRANDS The report demonstrates that digital marketplaces consistently outperform direct-to-brand channels across all surveyed markets. In every country examined, including established e-commerce markets such as the UK and Italy, consumers selected third-party marketplaces over direct brands by a substantial margin. Although price (78%) and convenience (77%) remain the primary factors influencing consumer preference for marketplaces, security has
30 | MCV/DEVELOP July/August 2026
become a significant driver of platform loyalty, ranking third overall. Consumers increasingly seek a “guaranteed ecosystem” when selecting online shopping platforms. Because marketplaces integrate trusted payment wallets (which 60% of users say is the ultimate feature for online confidence) and assume full accountability for fraud prevention, they have become a vital part of the online trust infrastructure. Consumers are transactional and have little brand loyalty; they will immediately switch platforms if a direct brand cannot match the combined convenience, pricing and security that a marketplace offers.
PAYMENT WALLETS ARE THE MOST TRUSTED SECURITY FEATURE Trusted payment wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal emerged as the most important security feature for online shoppers, named by 60% of respondents, well ahead of multi-factor authentication or privacy policies. In Germany, Poland and Italy, digital wallets have become the preferred payment method. Security and privacy concerns are primary factors influencing this
shift: 32% of users select payment options to avoid disclosing financial details to merchants.
PREVALENCE OF SCEPTICISM REGARDING AGENTIC COMMERCE We explored ‘agentic commerce’ - AI systems that make purchases on behalf of users. Although the average trust in AI was rated at 6 out of 10, a significant proportion of participants expressed discomfort with relinquishing control to AI systems. Among those less confident (rating trust 5 or below), the main concerns were loss of human control (59%) and data privacy (51%), while only 14% cited negative past experiences with AI. These findings suggest agentic commerce will see uneven adoption.
As this technology advances, platforms that prioritise trust, transparency and user control will be best positioned to succeed. In summary, our report finds that trust and security must be a priority
for e-commerce platforms. Trust is make-or-break for digital commerce, and there is room for improvement, particularly as agentic commerce emerges. Consumers told us where they place their trust and who they think should take responsibility, and our findings show how the ecosystem can address these challenges.
To read the full ‘Trust in Digital Commerce’ report, scan the QR code.
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