The words Trust and Security carry so much weight not only in our personal lives but also in the realm of business. More so online business. The internet has created a whole new spectrum where you can conduct business with someone from the opposite corner of the earth and receive or deliver products or services without seeing each other face to face. When you are running an ecommerce store, for instance, you need to list your products and services with appropriate descriptions and checkout processes, and you are good to go.
However, the same internet has given rise to a whole new breed of criminal masterminds who use crafty methods to make a quick buck by defrauding unsuspecting victims using tactics such as hacking and identity theft. Hardly a week goes by without a severe cyberattack, making it to the major headlines. This has made online shoppers very paranoid about the online stores they shop from. If you have any plans of making it big in the ecommerce industry, you need to invest in the proper security tools that will assure prospective customers of their safety and win their trust.
Below we look at 5 Trust and Security tools to improve conversions
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Customer Reviews & Testimonials
Word of mouth has been known to be the most effective form of marketing. It is easier for someone to purchase your product or service after being referred by a happy client than after seeing your ad online or on TV. Although the buyer-seller relationship matters a lot in business, a customer needs to connect with other buyers who have purchased and benefited from your product or service. That is why having a section cut out for customer reviews and testimonials on your website can go a great deal in winning the trust of prospective buyers.
Encourage your customers to leave reviews after purchasing and using your product or service. Willing happy customers can even record video testimonials of them with the product to show other interested customers your service delivery is perfect. A new buyer usually needs that assurance that something works before they can swipe their credit card.
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Installing a Multi-domain SSL Certificate
For you to be able to accept any form of payments online, you need to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) regulations; one of which is having a valid SSL certificate on your website. SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, which is an encryption technology used to secure information being transmitted online. It is one of the most popular online security tools being used right now. When a website has an SSL certificate installed, it switches from HTTP to the HTTPS protocol that is symbolized by a padlock on the URL bar to show the site is secure.
Search engines like Google are also taking these certificates very seriously and labelling any website without one as ‘Not Secure’. If a prospective client visited your site to purchase a product or service only to encounter a ‘Not Secure’ sign, you can rest assured that money will go somewhere else. The best idea for a business entity is to purchase an SSL certificate type like multi domain SSL certificate which can cover multiple unrelated domains with one single certificate in case the business carries several domains. This way, no matter how many stores you open, you can be able to keep customers secure and maintain their trust.
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Listing Your Contact Information
Although the online business model has become the new norm in these fast-paced times, there is some aspect worth remembering from the traditional brick and mortar stores – personal contact. You could walk into the physical premises of a business, engage face to face with the seller, and even see and feel the products before making a purchasing decision. This aspect is not there in online businesses where you mostly rely on products images and descriptions, and you cannot even see your seller face to face.
To add some more human touch to your online store, you should provide contact information where customers can reach you promptly like when they have questions or complaints. You can integrate a live chat feature on your store, provide your email address and phone number and even a physical address of your business if there is one. You can also include social signals like follow buttons for social media so that customers can engage with your brand further.
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Trusted Security Seals from Reputable Companies
The power of association can be advantageous when appropriately displayed on your website. If reputable websites have placed security seals and accreditations on your site, that goes to show that you are not just some random loser trying to steal from people. Trusted security seals from reputable companies indicate that you have met all standards necessary to conduct business on an international scale. They could be from payment companies like Visa, PayPal, MasterCard or American Express or they could be from business accreditation firms like the coveted Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation. You could also receive them from SSL providers like Comodo and VeriSign.
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Well Defined Privacy Policy
Many serious laws are governing how sensitive data is shared online like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or HIPAA for any websites dealing with medical-related services. People are increasingly becoming concerned about their personally identifiable information falling on the wrong hands. It is thus imperative that you demonstrate your unwavering commitment to keeping your customers’ data safe and ensuring their privacy through a well-detailed privacy policy page. This will show your customers that you do not only care about their money but also respect their privacy and care about their safety.
Wrapping Up
As many millennials scramble for a slice of the online business cake, which indeed is fat and substantial, cybercrime similarly keeps hitting all-time highs which is worrying. That is why anyone venturing into e-commerce needs to take factors like website security and winning customer trust very seriously. Luckily, there are tested and proven security tools that you can employ on your site to keep your customers safe and win their trust. Acquiring a multi-domain SSL certificate, for instance, will ensure that all your stores are kept secure, and customer data is well protected.
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