While shopping online is the easiest way to get everything you want without having to deal with the mall masses and paid for parking (my worst!) it can also be pretty nerve wrecking. I constantly try to support small local businesses over bigger entities. I’m a supporter of entrepreneurship but when I visit a small ecommerce site that asks me to EFT money into an obscure account before my goods will be delivered I immediately click away and go somewhere else.
If you’ve set up a small business and are selling over the internet, you need to make sure your customers feel safe when online shopping.
Be clear
For starters, ensure you’re honest upfront. Make sure any “extra” costs are included on the site in a place that is easy to see and accessible to your client. There is nothing worse than adding items to your cart and checking out, only to be hit with some ridiculous delivery fee or being told that your goods will be sent via post (how unreliable). You’ve wasted my time and I won’t be visiting your site again.
Make the ecommerce store look the part
First impressions count. When setting up your ecommerce store make sure it is easy to navigate and beautiful on the eye. There is nothing worse than visiting a site that looks like someone made it on Geocities (remember that platform?) and not being able to find what you want. The alarm bells go off in my head as “scam”. If you’re using a WordPress CMS then a WooCommerce theme is the best way to go. Plus, you don’t need to be tech savvy to figure out how to set it up and use it.
Offer a safe payment option
If you want me to shop on your website you need to make sure that there is a safe and secure way for me to pay for items. Payment gateways don’t need to be an expensive exercise. WooCommerce makes this rather easy throughPAYPAL.
For maximum security, WooThemes uses PayPal Express Checkout, an off-site option which means credit card details are handled solely by PayPal and not touched by WooThemes or the seller. In fact, if you’re using PayPal, you as the seller, will never receive the financial details of the client so you can reassure your clients that they are safe (and you don’t have private credit card details that can be hacked).
PayPal is used around the world so if you’re dealing with an overseas client they’ll likely feel a lot more comfortable utilising the platform to make a purchase and obviously put their money in your pocket!
PayPal also has a rather smart service called Buyer Protection. If an eligible item or product doesn’t show up or turns out to be different than described, they’ll help sort things out. It makes me feel a bit safer and will also encourage more people to spend money on your site.
Have any questions? Contact PAYPAL
