Having already established that your eCommerce checkout is the most vulnerable part of the whole shopping experience, you’ve probably done everything to ensure that the process is simple, swift and secure. This is the stage where you’ve already attracted enough attention from a customer, but they’re yet to finalize their purchase. It may come as a surprise, but a large number of people abandon shopping at this particular stage.
The reasons are various – from a change of heart to inability to find one’s way through various forms. Some people decide to quit shopping because they’re intimidated by the total amount to be paid, but there are many more of those who, rightfully or not, feel that their personal information, especially credit card number, could be misused. Security has been in the focus of developing any eCommerce page since day one, with hackers and scammers trying to exploit the weaknesses of both the system and the shopper.
And we all know how smooth shopping experience is important for your everyday internet user. Laggy platforms, undisclosed information, chaotic navigation and unclear direction are also the things to take into account. But this article will focus on that last specific issue. Providing you have taken care of everything else.
Things to Consider
Before setting up a secure checkout process, you need to make up your mind about several things. First of all, are you going to open a merchant account to use with a payment gateway? If not, you’re going to opt for a third-party processing service solution. Payment gateway refers to a service that provides the infrastructure and security which facilitate sending confidential payment details to and from all nodes in the network involved in processing the payment.
A merchant account is an account with a financial institution, which allows you to conduct online business, i.e. receive payments and issue refunds. A third-party processing services means that you commission a third-party to provide both a payment gateway and a merchant account.
What to Look For?
If you decide to choose your own payment gateway and bank, you need to do a lot of research and compare the overwhelming offer with your needs. Apart from having a problem to find the exact type of support you need, there is also the element of cost. In any case, you should look for reputable partners, experienced in eCommerce and ready to provide a tailor-made solution.
On the other hand, if you decide to go for the solution provided by a third-party, you need to know that there are two potential obstacles there. First of all, there might be some features you need that are not provided by the solution offered. Second, such solutions may be costlier, since those offering them often count on the buyers’ unwillingness and/or incapability to deal with individual segments of the problem. So, do your homework, ask around and compare. Choose only those solutions that suit your needs and that you can afford.
Tools to Provide Security
Identity confirmation is crucial when it comes to establishing whether the people accessing your website are really who they say they are. Still, you’re walking on thin ice here, since you may become a bit too suspicious of your buyer’s identity, which in turn could offend or scare them off. Moderation is the key.
Another option available is a bit subtler, but deals with the identity confirmation problem successfully. There is software that recognizes your client’s behavior based on what buttons they click, how they move the cursor, etc. Such software analyzes our habits without us realizing it. Thought this is still in the early stage of development, we might say with great certainty that it could be the future of online security.
Needless to say, choosing the right platform for your eCommerce is vital. We are privileged to have so many options available, from open source to specialized ones. They all come with their own set of security plug-ins, which make great contributions towards your website’s security. Also, you shouldn’t forget that having a secure ecommerce payment gateway provides not only security, but also credibility and trustworthiness to your business.
Finally, you need to remember that having a safe and secure checkout page is not enough to guarantee you’ll attract and retain shoppers. You should rather think of the security issues as an essential element of a complex process. In order for this process to be efficient, it also needs to be as simple and clear as possible. It should be optimized to provide the maximum speed possible. You don’t want your website to lag just after a shopper has finalized their purchase, since they’ll associate a very stressful moment with you and will never return. On the other hand, if you do everything correctly, your shoppers will feel safe and secure and they’re likely not only to return, but also recommend you to other prospective customers.
Raul is a B.Sc. in Innovative entrepreneurship and has a lot to say about innovations in all aspects of digital technology and online marketing. While he’s not enjoying football and great food, you can find him on Technivorz.com
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