How do you create a reliable webshop?

What is the risk?

In response to Webshop Day, Radio1 reported today that 25,000 new .be domains have already been registered this year, some of which are undoubtedly fraudulent webshops. What's more, 58 have already been identified and shut down this year.

The days when bol.com dominated the digital shopping market and it was unusual for a local shop to also have a webshop are over. There are two reasons for this. On the one hand, it is the way the digital world is going. Shopping from the comfort of your own home is simply easier than rushing to the shop after work. If you want to remain successful as an entrepreneur, a webshop is increasingly becoming a must. Because that is what consumers want.

In addition, many shops have had to close their doors for a long time during the coronavirus pandemic. This has meant that organisations without a webshop have had to get up to speed faster than was probably envisaged in their business plan. The danger with a quick setup is that not enough thought is given to what you need as a digital store, which can cause a number of problems. But we already wrote a blog last year about how you can prepare your online store for a spike in visitors.

So, back to fraudulent webshops, what exactly does this mean? These are webshops that appear legitimate but do not actually sell any products. It looks as if you are ordering a product, but you are actually making an online payment to a platform run by criminals who will run off with your money.

How can customers trust my webshop?

It is very important to know that, as an entrepreneur, you can take a number of steps to assure customers that they are browsing a secure webshop.

SECURITY: EXTENSIVE VALIDATION

The importance of an SSL certificate should not be underestimated. An online shop must always ensure that online payments are made in a secure environment. As a hosting partner, we would always recommend extensive validation for an online shop.

Extended validation requires that both the ownership of the website and the company itself be validated. In addition, a number of extra checks are carried out. These include verifying the identity of the individual making the application and checking whether he or she has the authority to do so. This also means that there is often a longer waiting time for this type of certificate.

Thanks to the additional control mechanisms, an SSL certificate with extended validation provides the greatest assurance that a website and its owner are authentic. It is also the most visible form of SSL security: not only does the address bar of your browser display a padlock and https:// before the URL, but the name of the company also appears in a green bar.

This level of validation is recommended for websites that process sensitive information from their visitors. Would you like to learn more about which SSL certificate is best for your environment? Read our blog about it here.

THE BECOMMERCE QUALITY MARK

In addition to the physical security of your website, commercial security is also possible, namely the BeCommerce Quality Mark. This ensures that consumers who visit your website can see that the webshop is reliable. To obtain the quality mark, your webshop must comply with all the requirements of Belgian and European legislation.

The trust mark exists for both B2B and B2C webshops. Once the trust mark has been obtained, the webshop is reviewed every two years in accordance with current regulations.

Of course, there is a checklist that you must meet in order to qualify for the quality mark. More details can be found on the BeCommerce website.

PROFESSIONAL LOOK

Ensure transparency on your website. When your organisation details and your working methods (deliveries, returns, etc.) are clearly stated, this will automatically give customers more confidence. Think about what you consider important in a webshop and make sure you implement this yourself.

Finally, the look and feel of your webshop is also very important. Make sure you work with a reliable developer who can give your webshop a professional look. In addition, work with a good hosting partner who can provide an infrastructure that ensures your webshop runs smoothly and effectively. Nothing is more frustrating than an online order that you can't complete, right?