Executive Summary

The Trust Gap Merchants cannot
afford to ignore

Identity and Fraud Insights for Merchants in 2026

New data on how consumer trust, payments, and fraud prevention are reshaping ecommerce and what merchants are getting wrong about all three.

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At a Glance

  • $12.5 billion lost to fraud in 2024, a record high according to the Federal Trade Commission.
  • 83% of consumers have used a P2P payment app. Payment providers have been the most trusted digital category for four consecutive years.
  • 43% of shoppers prefer guest checkout. 72% of those still use it even when they already have an account.
  • Payment providers are the only category exceeding consumer trust expectations. Branded retailers have a 30%+ gap to close. This report shows exactly what the difference is.

What's Inside

  • The trust gap data by platform type, including branded retailers
  • Why payments companies are winning consumer confidence
  • Guest checkout, false declines, and what they cost merchants
  • Gen Z fraud exposure and what it means for future customer loyalty
  • Six concrete actions merchants can take now

Report Highlights

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  • Identity theft is the number one consumer concern at 68%
  • 85% of consumers prioritize security over convenience.
  • New account fraud ranks 15th on merchant investment lists despite being their top fraud type
  • Biometrics rank as the most secure authentication method for the fourth year running

Three findings merchants are not
acting on fast enough

30%+

The trust gap facing branded retail

Consumers rank branded retail sites second-highest in importance of protection, but trust delivery sits below 20%. That gap is an active liability, and most merchants are not measuring it.

72%

Guest checkout is not going away

Of the 43% who prefer guest checkout, 72% use it even when they have an account. The friction of account creation is being voted down silently, one abandoned cart at a time.

15th

New account fraud's investment rank

Merchants report it as their highest-rate fraud type. It sits 15th on their investment priority list for 2025. The misalignment between problem and solution is the clearest signal in the data.

Access our insights and the full report

Fill out the form to access our take on Experian's research and download the report on trust, fraud, and digital identity in ecommerce.

  • icon-1 Key data on consumer trust and fraud concerns
  • icon-2 Insights from Experian and ClearSale research
  • icon-3 Practical trends shaping ecommerce decisions