There is a reason why consumers love shopping online – the benefits and convenience that a purchase provides them. But what happens when you’re selling a high-ticket item or product with several complex features? How do you convince a buyer that your product is worth the money when it comes with so many extra perks? You have to be careful, because while the convenience of online shopping may be appealing, more and more businesses are discovering that the risks of digital tampering and fraud are becoming too great. To combat this problem, more and more brands are requiring that all of their online stores utilize secure payment processing, create digital receipts, and offer multiple delivery options.
The Growth of Online Shopping
If you’re reading this, it’s probably no secret that you’re a digital shopper. With the growth of digital shopping, all types of businesses are feeling the effects – from the big-name brands that generate billions in annual sales to the small businesses that provide the products that you love. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 59% of consumers say they’ve bought something purely because it was on sale, 29% because it was recommended by a family member or friend, and 22% because it was featured in a commercial. Those are some pretty big margins to be giving away for free.
Why Should You Care?
As businesses become more reliant on digital platforms to grow, develop, and innovate, they’re learning to approach eCommerce in a whole new way. Creating a shopping experience that’s easy, convenient, and valuable is what drives purchase decisions now – not only does it help to retain customers, but it also allows you to attract new ones.
The benefits of online shopping are numerous. You can shop whenever and wherever you want – it’s always there, accessible, and waiting for you whenever you need it. You can research and compare prices and features easily – knowing exactly what you’re paying for and how much it is worth is much more convenient than searching for the best sales pitch or working with a salesperson who might be trying to trick you into buying something you don’t need. And finally, shopping online is anonymous. You don’t have to worry about giving out personal information, which could be used against you if your information is compromised.
As convenient as online shopping can be, it’s not exactly risk-free. Hackers can target customers whether they’re using a standard browser or an encrypted browser, so ensuring that your site is secure and keeping your personal information safe is crucial. In an effort to combat this, more and more businesses are requiring that all of their online stores utilize secure payment processing, create digital receipts, and offer multiple delivery options.
How Can You Make Sure?
While there are a number of benefits to online shopping, creating an entirely secure and flawless shopping experience can be difficult. That’s why only a small portion of online stores are taking the step – the ones that know how important it is to provide a top-notch customer experience.
To ensure that your online store provides an excellent customer experience, you must put in the effort to do the following:
- Use a Secure Payment Processor: The safest and most practical way of paying for goods and services online is via a secured payment processor. When a consumer clicks the Buy button on your store, they’ll be re-directed to a page that has a verified payment icon. When they make the payment, their information will be encrypted and stored securely on the payment processor’s servers. This prevents fraud and tampering, not to mention that it creates a paper trail that can be followed if something goes wrong. Most importantly, though, is that you as the business owner maintain full control over your online store’s finances. If you feel like you’re missing out on sales due to missing logos or security warnings, then you can always disable the verified pay icon for that specific product or service.
- Create Digital Receipts : As discussed earlier, online shopping is a convenient and risk-free way to do business. However, because it’s easy to disappear with the click of a mouse, you must be sure that you’re maintaining complete control over your transactions. This way, you can be sure that the person paying for the product is the person receiving it. To that end, create digital receipts for all purchases made via online stores – even if the customer doesn’t have a smartphone, everyone has a printer.
- Offer Multiple Delivery Options : According to a study from GlobalWebIndex, 44% of consumers have no qualms about spending more money on delivery charges than they would to buy the product themselves. Offering multiple delivery options is a great way to attract new customers and retain existing ones. Not every neighborhood has a grocery store, and being able to offer delivery right to their homes makes it that little bit easier to convince them to purchase your product.
With the surge in eCommerce and the way that people are adapting to using their smartphones for shopping, businesses are discovering the importance of providing a premium online shopping experience – and what it takes to do so.