Conversion Tips - Secure Payment Options

Who runs this site? Do they offer a safe way to pay? Are they going to scarper with my money? Am I ever going to get this product? Just a few of the things you think about when you're about to put your card details into a website to make that purchase. It's not just you, all your potential customers wonder the same thing about your website and if they feel that your website is the slightest bit dodgy they will abandon the purchase - after all your nearest competitor is just a Google search away.

To increase your conversion rate you need to reassure your customers that your payment methods are secure and that they can buy from your ecommerce website with confidence. We recommend the following actions to reassure your customers and increase your conversion rates:

Get Accredited

Companies such as IMRG, the global industry body of online retailing, provide an online accreditation scheme called ISIS (Internet Shopping Is Safe). For £125.00 per year your website is reviewed and given recommendations on how to ensure you meet the ISIS standard. A clickable certificate can then be shown on your website to certify that you are ISIS accredited and customers can buy from you with confidence. ISIS accredited retailers now account for approximately two thirds of all UK online shopping.

For further details or an application go to the ISIS website or contact us.

Offer Secure Payments

Shoppers are more savvy when it comes to entering their card details into a website. Making it clear what payments you accept and making it easy for them to buy will increase your conversion rate. Using companies such as Sage Pay to handle your payment pages gives your customers confidence that their details are secure. Displaying your payment options clearly on every page makes it clear from the start who will be looking after your customer and what cards you accept.

3D Secure 

In 2001 Visa introduced a security protocol called 3D Secure. Designed to improve the growth of ecommerce through increased consumer confidence by acting a bit like an online pin number. Branded as Verified by Visa they where soon followed by Mastercard with their version Mastercard SecureCode. 3D Secure is a simple identity checking service that takes the risk out of online shopping for both the retailer and the customer. 3D Secure adds an additional layer of assurance to processed transactions. This results in fewer transactions being queried and fewer chargebacks to the retailer. Displaying the Verified by Visa and Mastercard SecureCode badges on your website increase confidence in your website's security and is simple to add on to your Sage Pay account. But don't just take our word for it, read how Dabs.com benefited from integrating Verified by Visa.

PayPal

Services such as PayPal and Google Checkout are used on thousands of websites, from small specialist retailers to high street brands. They offer an alternative way to pay online without having to enter card details for every purchase, this speeds up the checkout process and increases conversions. Customers will feel comfortable paying through PayPal because of the familiarity of the brand and the ease of checking out from your website.

Checkout Process

Make sure your checkout process is simple, an over complicated checkout process can ruin your website conversions. Your customers are at your website to shop, not fill out forms. Building a good checkout process gives the customer the necessary information and help so that the customer understands all the stages of the process, keeping the trust you have built up as they navigated through the website. Most importantly, it's about making it easy, because the quicker the customer can check out, the happier they will be and the quicker the transaction will be closed.

So to increase your conversion rate you must reassure your customers that your website is safe to buy from and that you offer secure payment options. Make sure you offer payment methods that inspire trust and make it easy for your customers to check out. Keeping reviewing your website and get feedback on the changes you make, sometimes small changes can have huge effects.

As we gear up for our exhibition at the Liverpool Business Fair, we are going to be doing a series of blog articles on how to convert more business through your website and will be launching our handy guide at the Fair. If you follow us on Twitter look out for the hashtag #conversiontips