Encourage Consumers to Buy More & Worry Less
We’ve come along way from sending an order form and check through the mail. Now, eCommerce makes up for a substantial part of our shopping.
Now, terms like Cyber Monday are part of our common vernacular, and online shopping has become quite commonplace.
However, as online shoppers enter in their credit card numbers to complete their purchases, they might be wondering if their information will be kept secure, or if they have anything to worry about with disclosing such personal information to a website. Fortunately, as a business owner, there are ways to help boost online shoppers’ confidence and help put their minds at ease.
Offer Online Customer Service
A great way to boost confidence and trust in an online merchant is to offer them really great online customer service. This helps to make the company seem less like an impersonal website and reassure the customers that there are actual warm and friendly bodies working for the company who are happy to help them with any questions or issues. A customer service chat feature is an example of a way to gain a shopper’s confidence, and help make sure that he or she is getting any needed help to complete the purchase.
Offer Identity Theft Protection Services
Business owners who wish to take a very proactive approach to identity theft issues might consider offering their customers a protection service. After Target dealt with its security breach in late 2013, it offered customers a free subscription to Lifelock. But company owners don’t have to wait until the worst happens to offer this perk; they can reassure their customers that although they are taking every precaution to keep their sensitive data private, they will also offer them an identity theft protection plan as insurance.
Offer PayPal as a Payment Option
For customers who are feeling uneasy about making an online purchase from a company, seeing that familiar blue PayPal logo can help to make them feel a lot better. As the Houston Chronicle notes, there is good reason for online shoppers to feel reassured knowing that a website takes PayPal; in addition to being the preferred method of payment for one in four online shoppers, it has a well-deserved reputation for security. For example, PayPal transactions receive 128-bit encryption, address screening checks, and fraud screening card verification checks — all for free. As a bonus, merchants who opt to take PayPal typically see an increase in business of around 18 percent; not only is this a convenient way to pay for something, but consumers tend to really trust a company that offers it.
Offer Security Badges and Credentials
As Chelus Law notes, online shoppers are definitely reassured by the sight of a security badge or security credentials that are clearly displayed on the business website. This information lets consumers know that the website is complying with a certain set of standards related to cyber security. For example, business owners can use McAfee to scan the online store on a regular basis for issues and any potential security gaps. In doing so, the retailer is given a code which will display the security badge in plain view on the site, which will help to build trust and confidence in shoppers.
