The first and foremost answer would be security. The number one concern when people are buying online is whether the online retailers are legit. Getting your credit card details stolen is the least thing you want when shopping online. As an e-commerce site owner, it’s your job to make sure that your customers’ credit card details – as well as other personal information – are well-secured.
So, how to accept credit card payments in the right way? Here are a couple of things to think about in your effort securing your e-commerce site’s credit card transactions (apologise if any of these is a bit technical):
Use HTTPS; even better, use certified SSL
Surprisingly, some of the sites I’ve ever visited ask for credit card details WITHOUT securing the page! They are using the unsecured HTTP – it’s risky at best, and you should not buy from such sites! The solution: Use HTTPS – or HTTP Secure – to encrypt your communication to prevent online eavesdropping and authenticate your online store’s web server.
Indeed, using https://www.your-online-store.com is definitely more secure than using http://www.your-online-store.com. However, you should not be stopping there!
HTTPS is good, but it’s uncertified; you might want to consider using certified SSL, which definitely can secure your online store better. What’s more, SSL certificates typically come with seal of approvals or badges, from which your customers can validate. Those badges will help ensuring your customers’ sense of security – and making your online store more trusted and credible at the same time.
VeriSign, Thawte and Comodo are some of the leading SSL certificates with strong reputation. SSL certificates are pretty similar from one to another, but be sure to shop around for the best value for money.
Partner with trusted merchant services
Accepting credit cards, you need to ensure customers that entering their credit card details is safe and secure. Using the SSL certificate I mentioned above can definitely help, but it’s not enough; partnering with Merchant Services offering enhanced security to online transactions is a must.
ChargeNational is one of the leading merchant services – which include online merchant services – serving more than 60,000 merchants, including big names such as Harley-Davidson, Applebee’s and Hostway. ChargeNational’s E-commerce merchant service include tokenization technology, as well as offering secure hosted checkout with no coding required on your part; it is also integrated with third-party payment gateways, such as Authorize.net.
Let your customers know your effort!
Offering the perk of accepting credit card payments online comes with a responsibility to secure them. Be sure to do it in the right way.
While doing so, be sure to let your customers know that you have taken extra measure to secure their purchase payments. This will help your online store gaining trust and credibility.
Ivan Widjaya
Tips on accepting online payment
Image: sixninepixels