Ecommerce Fundamentals Part 2 - Customer Trust & Best Practices

[Continued from E-Commerce Fundamentals Part 1 - Selling Your Products & Services Online]

Okay, you got your shopping cart up and running and now you're ready to sell online right? You are almost there. Let's look at some of the ways to build customer trust and best practices to follow. Note: the following does not apply to PayPal or Google Checkout.

Secure Your Site

Any time you are dealing with private customer information such as billing details, it is important to encrypt such information. You do this by adding an SSL certificate to your Website. Your customers won't trust your web site without an SSL certificate. Nearly 70 percent of online shoppers will terminate an online order because they do not "trust" the transaction. The use of an SSL certificate on a website is usually indicated by a padlock icon in web browsers but it can also be indicated by a green address bar. These certificates are issued by Trusted Authorities such as VeriSign, Thawte or GoDaddy for example.

Levels of Security

Not all SSL certificates are created equally! While all certificates will adequately secure the transmitted information, some certificates demonstrate to your customers that the Trusted Authority has not only validated your domain, but has also validated your business. Some customers may find this important. These enhanced certificates usually come with the added benefit of the Green Address Bar … a visual aid to further increase trust. The green bar has become more common and is usually expected.

Display a Site Seal

When you purchase a SSL certificate, you will be issued a Site Seal. A site seal is a logo that you can display on your web site that verifies that you have been validated by a particular certificate provider and are using their SSL certificate to secure your site. Observing this seal is important to many users to verify their information will be transmitted securely.

Make a Promise

In your purchase area, display a message to your customers promising how their information will be kept private, stored securely and will not be shared with anyone. If you do not have room for this message, simply include a link to a page where your Privacy Policy is clearly outlined.

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Filed in // E-commerce