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| 'Time Management for Internet Marketers' |
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10 Reasons Why Your Customers Can Buy Online With Confidence
Pretty much a whole industry has been built around articles warning on the dangers and pitfalls of buying on the net. Despite this most people nowadays have bought online at least once, but they may still need reassurance before feeling safe to try a site for the first time. Here are some points which can help build that trust for your customers.
· Reassure visitors that you are real. As a vendor, you should list your actual address and phone number and provide some contact details for a real person at your web site. Say on the site : “If you’re concerned about security, call us to make sure that we exist.” Provide facts, and maybe pictures, about your business, as this will promote confidence. You can also join a scheme such as Internet Shopping Is Safe (www.imrg.org/internet-shopping-is-safe), or SafeBuy (www.safebuy.org.uk) to help reassure visitors.
· Credit card companies protect buyers. Many people don’t realise the extent of protection that their credit cards companies provide. It’s simple. If you get transactions charged to your account which you didn’t authorise, you can request a refund from your credit card issuer.
· Buying on-line is as safe as buying by mail order. Risks on the internet are the same as in mail order. If you feel confident to buy by phone, fax or mail, you should be confident to buy on the internet. In fact your rights are the same whether shopping online or in the high street. They are covered by the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and the Trade Descriptions Act 1976. If you receive faulty goods you have the right to a full refund. The only exception is when buying from abroad.
· Use customer endorsements. Whenever customers make positive comments about your service or company, ask permission to quote them on your web site. Scatter a few such endorsements around the site, and change them regularly.
· Encryption is the key. Remember that credit card information is fully encrypted by virtually all vendors as it travels over the net. Provide details of your security method. This could come from using Secure Socket Layer (SSL).
· Use your existing credentials. If you are a member of a professional body, display their logo prominently on your home page - provided this is permitted under your terms of membership.
· Buying online is no riskier than many personal transactions. The risk is actually no greater than using your card in a store, where the person behind you could see your PIN.
· The big boys do it. Millions of pounds of transactions are now being conducted online every day. Thousands and thousands of purchases are taking place, and companies such as Dell are making the web their main ordering mechanism. Would they do this if it was fundamentally insecure?
· Offer other ordering methods. As a vendor, even if you are pushing web sales hard you should give alternative ways of ordering such as by fax. A few people will take advantage of the facility but for the rest it shows that you are fully confident.
· Think twice about orders from outside Europe and North America. The few cases of reported fraud on the net have been at the sellers expense, not the buyer. Vendors need to be beware of orders coming from jurisdictions where it is particularly hard to take action against fraud. Countries outside of Europe and North America seem to pose the main risk.
By Chris Barling, CEO of Actinic, the ecommerce software supplier, www.actinic.co.uk, 0845 129 4800 |
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More articles on building online confidence
10 Reasons Why Your Customers Can Buy Online With Confidence |
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