PUTTING YOUR WEBSITE TO WORK: 13: E-COMMERCE

13th in a series about website basics

E-COMMERCE: SAFE SHOPPING

Have you ever had a negative experience trying to purchase online? You never wanted to go back, right? Maybe you told your friends, too . . . which brings me to another item of interest about e-commerce. While it’s true that your e-commerce website can provide your company with the revenue and business expansion that you seek, there is still plenty of resistance to online shopping. Here’s an infographic from SiteJabber, "Why Are People Afraid of E-Commerce?" (which also includes some excellent tips for online shoppers.)

Some of the fears or objections are about

\tNot being able to track orders
\tNot being able to see the actual product
\tNeeding assistance
\tBeing afraid of not being able to return something.

With good tracking systems, excellent product photos and videos, contact forms and phone numbers for assistance, and an excellent return policy, you can overcome those objections.

However, the #1 obstacle to online shopping is fear of compromised credit card information. As the operator of an e-commerce site, you’ll have an enormous responsibility to keep that and other information secure. An investment in security software and tools is mandatory to keep your relationship with your customers one of complete trust.

A few tips:

\tSSL keeps your customer data encrypted and protected; and there are visual cues to show customers that your site is secure, notably “https” in the address bar.
\tBe sure to keep your site current with the latest release of your e-commerce system.
\tUse payment processing that is reliable; and try to avoid redirects to third party payment sites unless they are well-known, such as PayPal. Payment methods differ on how much they cost and how easily they integrate into your site. Your website professional can advise you