Check .lt domain

Survey: The websites and e-shops using the .lt domain are most trusted by Lithuanians

As many as 60% of Lithuanians believe that Lithuanian content websites or e-shops using the .lt top-level domain in their address are the most trustworthy. This was revealed in a survey on the internet usage habits of the Lithuanian population carried out for DOMREG by public opinion and market research company “Baltijos Tyrimai” in November 2023.

19% of respondents believe that Lithuanian websites or e-shops using the .com top-level domain are the most trustworthy. Only 4% of respondents believe that websites or e-shops using the .eu domain and publishing content in the Lithuanian language are the most reliable. Websites or e-shops using other languages and other top-level domains are considered the least trustworthy by Lithuanians.

Lithuanian e-shops seem more trustworthy to consumers

Tomas Mackus, Head of DOMREG, the Internet Service Centre of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), which is the registry of the .lt top-level domain, believes that the high level of trust in Lithuanian websites and e-shops using the .lt domain is related to the familiarity of the home market and the well-defended consumer rights.

“There is probably no doubt that the .lt domain is first and foremost associated with Lithuania, indicating Lithuanian origins. People feel more at ease when they know they can easily contact the seller and communicate in their native Lithuanian language. In addition, more and more consumers are aware of their rights: what laws are in force in our country, which institutions protect consumers and what measures they can take against dishonest entrepreneurs. When buying from an e-shop registered in Lithuania, consumers know that it might be easier to protect their rights and get their money back if the product or service is of poor quality,” – states T. Mackus.

Strengthening business credibility

According to the respondent, the .lt domain registry’s efforts to verify the domain name and the authenticity of the domain holder after the domain has been created also help to strengthen the credibility of all businesses that choose the .lt domain.

“Most spammers choose other top-level domains for sending spam emails, phishing and other cybercrimes. Criminals usually aim to register a domain by falsifying the data of the domain holder. The .lt domain verification procedures contribute to the lower number of individuals committing criminal activities,” – emphasises T. Mackus, Head of KTU Internet Service Centre DOMREG.

Increasing regulatory requirements and EU directives also help to increase the reliability of national domains.

Tomas Mackus, Head of KTU Internet Service Centre

The .lt domain remains the most popular in Lithuania

According to the data of KTU Internet Service Centre DOMREG, there were more than 233 thousand .lt second-level domains registered by the end of 2023. This is 2.99% more than in 2022. A total of 41 thousand .lt second-level domains were created in 2023 but 35 thousand domains were not renewed. The majority of .lt domains (57%) were registered by legal entities and 43% were registered by natural persons.

“2023 was a fairly standard year, with an increase of almost 3% in registered .lt domains. This is slightly below the ten-year average growth rate, but much better than 2022, when .lt domain growth was just 0.5%.

A sharp drop in .lt domain registrations was noticed in 2022 with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The mood of consumers and businesses deteriorated because of the war, which was a key reason for the decline in .lt domain registrations in 2022. Last year, the growth of the .lt domain recovered. Considering the less optimistic economic situation, I would predict a slower growth of the .lt domain in 2024 than last year,” – says T. Mackus.

According to the data of the Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries (CENTR), a total of about 340 thousand domains was registered by the Lithuanians in January 2024, of which more than 200 thousand or 59% were .lt second-level domains, 67 or 20% were .com domains and 30 or 9% were .eu second-level domains.

A domain name alone is not enough for full confidence

A survey of the Lithuanian population on internet usage habits conducted by the market research company “Baltijos Tyrimai” asked whether people trust or distrust a website or e-shop when they see the .lt domain in its address. While 46% of respondents said they were more likely to trust and 8% indicated that they trusted completely, as many as 25% of respondents said they were more likely to distrust and 5% said they completely distrusted websites or e-shops using the .lt top-level domain in their addresses.

“Although buying from shops that use the .lt domain lowers the possibility of being deceived, not all consumers blindly trust an address when they see it. With rising numbers of cybercrimes, many people become victims of fraud; therefore, consumers' critical thinking and rules for safe online behaviour are essential. When verifying the authenticity of a website or e-shop, I would advise you to pay attention to its address. Fraudsters often use a fake link very similar to the address of the real website or another top-level domain with an identical or similar name,” – warns T. Mackus.

The survey of Lithuanian citizens on their internet usage habits was conducted by the joint Lithuanian-British market and public opinion research company “Baltijos Tyrimai” on behalf of KTU Internet Service Centre DOMREG in November 2023.

The survey was conducted within the framework of the Lithuanian National Barometer. A total of 1088 people were interviewed at 109 sampling points. The survey identified and analysed the population using the internet (855 respondents, representing 78% of the total sample of respondents). The survey results reflect the views of Lithuanian internet users aged 15 and over by gender, age, education and type of settlement. The margin of error for the results of this size sample does not exceed +/- 3.4%.

Published 2024-02-28