Irish consumers do not trust firms that use free email addresses when it comes to interacting online with businesses.
A survey by the body responsible for managing internet domain names Ireland also found three quarters of people have high trust in businesses that use professional email addresses.
Many sole traders and small businesses rely on free services like gmail and eircom.net, rather than setting up their own company address, in order to keep costs down.
But the poll of 1,000 Irish consumers found two thirds of consumers have little or no trust in such systems.
The IE Domain Registry (IEDR) also found people are four times more likely to trust a company with a website than without one.
And even having a social media account like a Facebook page is not enough it seems.
The study found 63% of people see companies with just a social media presence as less trustworthy.
The IEDR says there are many low cost tools available to allow firms to quickly build a simple web presence so that they can tap into e-commerce.
