Most people are familiar with SSL certification - usually seen in the form of Verisign or Thawte Certificate Seals appearing on eCommerce websites. I personally will not enter into an online transaction unless I see a yellow padlock (SSL active symbol) appear in the bottom right hand corner of my browser, or some other browser based ’high security’ sign or symbol.
Every single consumer has a certain nervous disposition when they enter into a transaction, and for me, I carry the following worries:
- Is my transaction / payment card data safe?
- Are my registered details safe?
- Is this ecommerce company reputable / reliable?
- How do I know I will recieve shipment of what I ordered?
- How do I know my shipment will be of the required / advertised quality?
- How do I know that my shipment will arrive within a reasonable timeframe?
There is a significant amount of due dilligence involved in triangulating information on the viability of certain retailers. On etailing sites like eBay, vendors have satisfaction ratings and reviews to help ally the fears of potential customers.
The Internet is still a fairly young phenomena, and there is very little universality about it yet, some eCommerce sites have no visible certification, yet are the industry leaders - a great example of this is Amazon. For smaller retailers though, consumers carry huge barriers to trade in the form of not knowing and not therefore being able to trust a company that they have little knowledge of. Smaller retailers will have to display prominent transaction certification, and ideally membership of a relevant trade body - which vouches for the worthiness and reliability of said company.
There are currently 4 key types of certification on the Internet:
Industry Association - the best example of this is for holiday consumers - who have ABTA in their corner (if affiliated of course) when a vendor fails to come up with the goods, other examples include ATOL and ISIS (Internet Shopping is Safe)
SSL Certification - Secure Transaction verification - most typically in the form of Verisign and Thawte, although there are other smaller players such as GlobalSign
Anti-Hacker Certification - Website secured agains Hacking - means much reduced likelihood of loss or unauthorised capture of personal details / personal identity theft. There are several organisation active in this area, including McAfee Secure, WebSafe Shield and Millenium Hacker Secured
Privacy Certification - Ensuring that any information you submit to a website is not mis-used or passed on to unauthorised 3rd parties. Organisations involved in this field include TRUSTe, Trust Guard and EuroPriSe
We recommend that all eCommerce sites carry at least a Verisign or Thawte Certificate Seal. In certain industries - such as travel, further acceditation is necessary in the form of some sort of travel, tourism or airline association body - which guarantees the conduct of its members.
In the UK, we are seeing more and more ISIS certification on eCommerce sites; Privacy and Anti-Hacker certification is somewhat new, and has not yet attained any kind of critical mass.
It is important to remember that reassurance is an enormous part of the buying experience, and consumers do need to feel protected for their online purchasing. The process of certification is the same as an individual having a series of referees and references to validate and guarantee their worthiness. In the same way, most businesses will need these forms of guarantee to encourage potential customers to do business with them.
