These figures form part of a research commissioned by the I.T. Ministry and carried out by the National Statistics Office. The research focused also on trends with regards online purchasing.

The research indicates that over 22% of the Maltese population has done some type of purchasing via Internet. Commenting on these results, Minister Gatt explained that it is evident that the main two factors influencing the technology take-up are age and the level of education. He added that his Ministry is working on initiatives to overcome these obstacles. Minister Gatt also spoke about the indications with regards e-commerce. He mentioned that the research showed that only 34.9% of the persons interviewed had both a debit card and a credit card while 31.7% had only a debit card and 28.1% have neither. Furthermore, 54.1% of persons who have purchased online have a tertiary level of education while persons with a lower level of education have never purchased online.

Minister Gatt also announced that in the coming weeks, two initiatives aimed at stimulating trust in online purchasing will be launched.

These include the Euro Label Malta which is an initiative taken up by the I.T. Ministry and the Commerce Chamber. This label will represent a Trust Mark scheme of products sold from Maltese websites which will provide more credibility and trustworthiness with regards online transactions.

The other initiative is the creation of the Maltese eMALL. The eMALL is an electronic infrastruction similar to a department store where the consumer will be able to browse, purchase and pay for items and services online. This will incorporate a number of establishments on one complex. With this aim, the Government is preparing a public call for interested persons to develop and administer the eMALL. The Government’s ultimate aim is to kick off e-MALL with a solid commercial base together with the private sector and eventually pass on the complete administration of eMALL to private entities shortly.