Online shopping safety firm may set up in city

Nov 12 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

A DIGITAL firm which keeps shoppers safe online has announced plans to open a second North East office in Newcastle.

Darlington’s shopsafe.co.uk is a web directory of more than 4,000 online shopping sites which it has vetted to make them ultra-secure for customers who are concerned about the risks of spending money on the web.

The company, which also develops websites, was launched at the dawn of the internet in 1996 and has since enjoyed steady growth.

Today it has a team of 10, is ranked second of all shopping directories in the UK by ranking.com and attracts over 350,000 unique visitors every month.

Company director Simons Crisp admits the firm is keen to grow but has found itself limited by a shortage of relevantly skilled workers in the region.

As part of its growth it aims to open an office in Newcastle in the next two years, which Mr Crisp says could eventually become a similar size to its Darlington operation.

Mr Crisp, who runs the company with fellow director Graham Miller, said the group’s ongoing success is indicative of the fact that people continue to be concerned by the risks of internet shopping.

He said: “People are still concerned about online security when shopping online. We run security checks to make sure people are legitimate retailers.

“To get listed at all it has to be a safe shopping website. The rating system is to do with other things that make the website easier to use.”

Before an e-commerce site is eligible for listing on Shopsafe it must meet its code of practice and have its contact information and customer service policies verified.