Keeping Your Customers Safe Shopping Online This Christmas

Staying Safe Shopping Online for Christmas Presents

Christmas is just right around the corner—the season and festivity we all look forward to. It’s a wonderful time of the year where we can give and share, put on some shiny and bright decor, and it’s the season of online shopping too (when we feel spending too much is okay, because it’s Christmas!). The bargains flood in. We get the best price deals, promos, and free stuff, and the packages will be delivered right to your doorstep.

The holidays are usually the heaviest online shopping season. And we expect more this year. This pandemic drives a surge of online shopping this holiday, shifting from brick-and-mortar to click-and-order.

Even before the pandemic, browsers have protocols in place and will alert people about, and completely block, non-secure websites. This means that without the right protection, you may not see sales at all. Protect your customers with a safe and secure online shopping experience. The e-commerce industry is constantly being targeted by cyber criminals. Prevent hackers from accessing your system and ruining your brand and business reputation. Avert fraud and retain your client’s confidential information. Here are security practices you must consider.

Security Tips to Provide a Safe Online Shopping Environment for Your Customers:

1. Implement SSL Certificates

An SSL Certificate allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. It activates the padlock and HTTPS protocol. It protects your business site from hackers and identity thieves. Your e-commerce website stores your client’s sensitive information, like bank details, full name, address, and phone number.

An SSL certificate ensures that this data is protected. Trust solidifies customer relationships. If they feel and know they’re safe when browsing and purchasing products from you, they will become loyal to your brand and business.

2. Choose a Secure E-Commerce Platform

Find the best e-commerce platform to easily manage your website, sales, and marketing. They have a big impact on your business’s profitability and stability. E-commerce platforms provide your customers easy and fast transactions, reducing friction while they purchase the products they need.

Here are the three e-commerce platform types you can choose from:

• Open Source
• SaaS
• Headless Commerce

Make sure that you’re running the latest version of the software of the e-commerce platform you’re using. Don’t miss out on new features and updates that will make all your client’s transactions this holiday smooth and easy.

3. Keep a Multi-Layered Security

Security against cyber threats is one thing a business should focus on. These threats and attacks can jeopardize your company and destroy important data. You can start with a firewall because this offers the first line of defense against attacks. Multi-layered security protects you, your business, and your customers against malicious attacks, scams, and phishing. This security uses numerous defense mechanisms to protect the IT infrastructure, stopping intruders from breaching your network and making it safer for your customers to transact business with you.

4. Adopt HTTPS

HTTPS hosting with an SSL certificate can guarantee you confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity. HTTPS protects your users’ privacy and your brand. It also improves your site’s SEO and analytics. You can easily identify if the site is secured if there’s a lock icon next to the URL in your browser. Use HTTPS if you want your users to see the content you posted and want their actions to reach you.

Update plugins and other tools. Plugins, platforms, and other tools you use for your e-commerce website should always be up to date. It’s a preventive measure to avoid hassle and stress in the future. Replace them if needed. Old features or versions can harm your site, or cyber attackers may exploit loopholes or vulnerabilities.

5. Use a Secure Payment Gateway

E-commerce businesses use payment gateways to allow clients and customers to pay for their purchases online without having to store their credit card and payment information after the transaction. PayPal is a popular payment gateway in the UK, comprising 14.39% of PayPal users. Many customers trust it due to its built-in fraud protection and mobile-optimized checkout, which is convenient for users shopping online this holiday season.

6. Back Up Your Data Regularly

Your site’s content changes frequently, so backing up needs to be done as frequently as possible too. If not, your online store may become inoperable, and the loss at this time of year will be huge. Backing up your data makes it easy for you to restore it if you lose it or if—knock on wood—something goes wrong with your business page due to human error, virus attack, or unwanted changes from apps. Ramp up your business’s fraud prevention system and prepare for this “NEW” holiday.

This season brings not only demand in supply, increased sales and profits, and new customers, but also fraud attempts, malware, and other cyber attacks. Make it easy for shoppers to trust you so they’ll continue doing business with you. Happy customers will lead you to the right path of your business growth. Get your business ready this Christmas season! Keep tabs on sales trends, offer discounts and gift cards, create competitions, and hold special promos.

Be in the know of the latest e-commerce trends and turn your curious visitors into repeat and loyal customers.

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