This holiday shopping season is expected to be the biggest ever as retail sales in November and December are expected to reach an all-time high of $720 billion this year. And with more and more consumers turning to their computers and mobile devices instead of standing in lines and fighting crowds, online sales are expected to reach $120 billion, up 15.5% from 2017.

Consumers and retailers aren't the only ones flocking online as cyber criminals are also hoping to capitalize this holiday season. In fact, November and December are prime months for a surge in phishing attacks, retail scams, and ransomware.

Your employees (or maybe even you!) are just as susceptible as consumers to be targeted by holiday phishing emails, promising enticing deals. All it takes is one click on a link in a phishing email or a malicious website for a cyberattack to cripple your business. With 97 percent of people unable to identify a sophisticated phishing email these days, how can the average SMB owner secure their business during this crucial holiday season? With cyber insurance.

A common misconception is that cyber insurance is just for computer and tech companies, but the reality is, all businesses - no matter the size, need cyber insurance.

The 2018 State of Cyber Insurance report shows that 86.35 percent of the total SMBs shopping for cyber insurance come from industries outside of computer, software, or IT.

Your small business should highly consider cyber insurance if you accept card payments or other forms of digital payments. In a recent survey, a whopping 77.6 percent of consumers stated that their No. 1 concern when shopping online is having their credit card info stolen from a website that was hacked or subject to a malware attack.

Consumer confidence in the cybersecurity of a business was one of the major contributing factors when making purchase decisions. In the same survey, 67 percent of people said that they would be more likely to visit and buy from an online store if they knew it had good security measures in place, and that their information was stored securely.

This holiday season, give yourself, and your customers, the gift of peace-of-mind by securing your business and their confidential information with cyber insurance. Cyberattacks aren't going away; they're only going to become more common, especially this time of year. Cyber insurance is a must-have for any modern business. Compare quotes from the leading cyber insurance providers, and find the right policy that fits your business today.

For more cyber insurance trends and information, download your free copy of the 2018 State of Small Business Cyber Insurance report today.