The discount is compelling. The timing is perfect. The email looks like it came from a brand you know. But one question can stop the purchase before it starts: Is this actually from them?

For retailers, that moment of uncertainty has real business consequences.

DigiCert’s 2026 consumer research found that 43% of consumers had deleted or abandoned an email because they weren’t sure it was genuine. Another 17% delayed a purchase or action, and 11% bought from another retailer. The same concerns extend to websites, where 39% reported abandoning a site and 15% purchased elsewhere. 
 
As Black Friday approaches, the message for retailers is clear: A compelling offer isn't enough if shoppers can't establish that it's authentic.

And consumers are increasingly looking for ways to verify the brands behind the messages they receive. 

When doubt costs you the sale

DigiCert commissioned Vitreous World to survey 6,000 adults across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand in October 2026. The findings reveal how authenticity concerns can interrupt the customer journey, often before a shopper reaches checkout.

For a legitimate retailer, losing a customer to uncertainty is especially frustrating. The product may be right and the price competitive, yet the shopper leaves because a more basic question remains unanswered: Can I trust this business?

Consider what happens when an attractive Black Friday or Cyber Week offer arrives from a sender the recipient can't verify.

Only 3% of respondents said they would open or click the email despite being uncertain about its authenticity. More than half would delete, ignore, abandon, or report the message. Another 24% would navigate independently to the brand's website or app.

That last response may still lead to a purchase, but it introduces friction into what should be a straightforward interaction.

For retailers, the consequences extend beyond email engagement. When consumers question whether they're interacting with a legitimate business, they may delay purchasing, leave the website, or choose a competitor.

The opportunity is to address that uncertainty before it becomes a reason to walk away.

A familiar logo boosts consumer confidence

One of the clearest findings from DigiCert's research is that consumer preference for verified brand identity in the inbox is growing.

DigiCert's 2025 consumer research found that approximately 49% of shoppers preferred the brand displaying its official inbox logo when comparing similar offers. That preference increased to 54% in 2026 across the four markets surveyed in both years: the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Germany, which was added to the research in 2026, was excluded from the year-over-year comparison.

The five-percentage-point increase suggests that visible brand identity is becoming a more important part of how consumers evaluate competing offers.

The 2026 research also tested how displaying a verified brand logo affected consumers' stated intentions. 

When respondents viewed the same retail email with and without a verified logo, the results consistently favored the verified version:

• Email opens: 34% with a verified logo, compared with 29% without.
• Link clicks: 25% with a verified logo, compared with 21% without.
• Purchase intent: 20% with a verified logo, compared with 17% without.

These are survey responses reflecting stated intentions, not measured campaign performance. Still, they suggest that visible verification can influence how shoppers evaluate an email.

There's another important finding: 76% of consumers said they would feel safer opening or acting on an email once they understood that the brand logo had been independently verified and displayed following email authentication checks.

That distinction matters. A familiar logo alone isn't proof that a message is legitimate. The verification behind the logo gives the signal its meaning.

Yet 40% of respondents were unaware that inbox logos could indicate a verified sender. 

For retailers, the opportunity isn't simply to display a recognizable logo. It's to make the verification behind that identity meaningful to customers.

A familiar brand name isn’t proof an email is genuine

The need for stronger authentication becomes clear when examining the scale of email impersonation.

Nearly nine in 10 consumers reported receiving a suspicious email during the past year. Among those recipients, 53% encountered messages impersonating parcel or delivery companies, while 38% saw messages claiming to come from retailers or online marketplaces.

These scams can be especially convincing during the holiday shopping season, when consumers expect shipping notifications, order confirmations, and promotional offers.

In fact, 28% of respondents said they rely on whether they were expecting a message when judging its authenticity. But timing and familiar branding aren't reliable evidence of identity. That's where email authentication matters.

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) helps domain owners protect against unauthorized use of their domains in email. When properly configured with an enforcement policy, DMARC enables receiving email providers to reject messages that fail the relevant authentication checks.

DigiCert and Valimail help organizations establish this protection, while DigiCert Mark Certificates help eligible brands display verified logos in participating email inboxes.

Together, these capabilities address two related challenges: making domain impersonation harder and helping legitimate emails become more recognizable.

For retailers, these are important steps toward reducing the uncertainty that can cause customers to disregard legitimate messages.

The checkout must earn trust, too

An authenticated email may help a shopper reach a retailer's website, but the need for verification doesn't disappear when they arrive.

DigiCert's research found that 39% of consumers had abandoned a website because they weren't sure it was authentic or safe. Another 17% delayed an action or purchase, and 15% chose another retailer.

These findings underscore the commercial consequences of uncertainty throughout the shopping experience.

One way retailers can help address that uncertainty is through website trust marks that provide verifiable information about the business operating the site.

When respondents were asked about a clickable trust mark confirming a website domain, operating organization, and security information, 51% said it would make them more likely to complete a purchase. Another 47% said it would make them more likely to enter payment information.

The research also tested a checkout page with and without a verified mark. That comparison found little difference in stated purchase likelihood, suggesting that displaying a mark alone may not be sufficient.

The distinction is important: Consumers need to understand what a trust mark represents and what information they can verify through it.

For a retailer, that means making website identity and verification information accessible when shoppers are deciding whether to share payment details or complete a transaction.

Trust should be established throughout the purchasing experience, not just at the first point of contact.

Even product photos are raising doubts

The research also found that concerns about authenticity extend beyond messages and websites to the images and videos shoppers encounter.

Thirty-five percent of respondents said they had decided against a purchase because they were unsure whether an online image or video was genuine.

And 67% said all AI-generated content should always be clearly labeled.

Content Credentials can help provide information about an image's origin and editing history. In DigiCert's survey, images displaying Content Credentials produced modest improvements in stated trust and purchase consideration.

For brands, this reinforces a broader principle: Customers want reliable information about the identities, messages, and content they're being asked to trust.

Give shoppers fewer reasons to walk away

Black Friday campaigns are built around getting shoppers to act. But urgency and attractive pricing can only accomplish so much when consumers have questions about authenticity.

The findings point to several practical steps retailers can take:

1. Strengthen email authentication. Implement and enforce DMARC policies to help protect your domain against unauthorized impersonation.
2. Make legitimate emails recognizable. Use verified brand logos in supported inboxes and help customers understand what the verification means.
3. Provide verifiable website identity. Make it easy for shoppers to confirm who operates your website and understand the information behind its trust marks.
4. Be transparent about digital content. Provide information about the origin and authenticity of product imagery where appropriate.

The research makes a compelling case for treating trust as part of the customer experience.

Retailers invest heavily in the offers, messages, and experiences designed to turn interest into purchases. Making those interactions easier to verify helps ensure that uncertainty doesn't undermine that investment.

A great Black Friday offer may earn attention. But earning the customer's trust gives it a better chance of earning the sale. 

Help shoppers recognize the real you

Make your emails harder to impersonate and easier to trust. Discover how DigiCert Messaging Trust helps you strengthen email authentication, protect your brand, and make legitimate messages easier to recognize.

Explore Messaging Trust

About the research

DigiCert commissioned Vitreous World to conduct an independent online survey of 6,000 adults who use personal email in October 2026. The report presents the results of 20 main survey questions covering email authenticity, verified brand logos, online retail trust marks, and the authenticity of online images and videos.  

Source: DigiCert, 2026 Consumer Trust Outlook, October 2026.