eTailers showing the Trusted Shops seal of approval not only offer their customers money back guarantee for every order, but also for various different causes, e.g. in reversing transactions.
Plus they will encounter Trusted Shops’ personal service: Consumers can contact an experienced, multilingual Service Team of Excellence by mail, telephone or online if they experience problems when ordering online and thus obtain support.

To learn more on Trusted Shops Premium Services, contact sales@trustedshops.co.uk

Find out more about this subject in the following article.

Online shoppers use alternative payment methods

In 2008 the company trialpay found out in it’s Alternative Payments Survey, that 75% of online shoppers have used an alternative payment method, such as Google Checkout, PayPal, Bill Me Later and TrialPay to purchase an item online. And 59% of online shoppers say they are more likely to make a purchase online if there is an alternative payment method available.

More payment options – more trust?

40% of those surveyed by ClickandBuy also said that they would feel more comfortable purchasing from a retailer who offers a wide range of payment methods than a retailer who only offers one payment option.

One third (36%) of survey participants said they would be spending more online than on the high street in 2009 than in 2008 and 45% agreed that they would be spending more time shopping online for cheaper versions of things they used to buy on the high street.

Financial security risks associated with ecommerce continue to be a concern, however, with 83% of respondents believing that the number of people trying to commit fraud on the internet is increasing. Only one third disagreed with the statement ‘I feel no safer when buying online now than I did five years ago’ and less than half (42%) of regular online shoppers are totally confident that their credit card details are secure when entered online.

Concerns of security risks

Of the 32% of adults surveyed who do not regularly shop online, over half (54%) said that this is because they are concerned of the security risks from entering credit card details online.

Commenting on the findings, Nick Drew, director, e-commerce operations, ClickandBuy, said:

“The message to merchants is clear – consumers are prepared to shop more online, but they want to feel completely comfortable and secure in doing so. Competition is rife in the online space and if shoppers aren’t being offered the right service and payment systems to meet their needs, they will take their purchase elsewhere, leaving merchants to potentially miss out on millions of pounds of business. Yes, e-commerce is set to grow, but only for those merchants who appreciate that different consumers have different preferences when it comes to making online transactions. The logic is simple – by offering a wider range of payment systems, the more customers a site is likely to appeal to.”

What is the idea behind your online store?
www.CheesyBug.co.uk was created to give web presence for CheesyBugToys

Why did you decide to start an e-commerce business?
I was looking to start my own business having become disillusioned with working for other people and having worked in retail for my entire work life starting my own retail business seemed like the obvious choice. I had been selling items on ebay for a while and it seemed like the correct choice for me to create my own web presence. I didn’t really know what to sell, but it was suggested that I look at Educational Toys; I searched the web and found a company willing to supply me and it snow balled from there. We started online trading in September 2005 and www.cheesybugtoys.co.uk was created.

Could you tell us about your professional life before you started your online store?
I had worked in retail prior to starting the business and managed a number of high profile sports stores.

Do you work fulltime or part time for your online business?
Everyone works full time at www.cheesybug.co.uk

Which shop system are you currently using?
We currently use a 1&1 Professional Shop Package. This suits our needs and whilst being reasonably priced is compatible with most major card payment systems and search engines.

Which payment systems does your Shop offer?
We currently offer Credit Card payments via Protx which allows us to accept MasterCard, Visa, Maestro, Delta & Amex and also offer Paypal. There are no current plans to add any others.

What are the advantages of your online shop against a high street store?
We can keep expenses to a minimum and do not need to keep high volumes of stock. An online presence allows us to target a wider range of customers.

Do you also run a physical store?
We do not run a physical store.

Does your store have any special features or functions?
The store has a fully functioning search facility. Customers can create their own account, preventing the need to fill in delivery details every time they order. It automatically broadcasts product feed to Google Base and other search providers.

What measures have you taken to increase consumer confidence?
We have signed upto a number of safe shopping sites, with the main focus being on the Trusted Shops agreement which gives our customers a Full Money back Guarantee. A recent review of our Terms & Conditions and these are emailed to our customers once an order is placed as well as being visible on the site.

What did you do to increase the visibility of your shop?
We have taken several steps to optimize our online shop for search engines like Google. We are also investing in Google AdWords Reviewing the titles and descriptions of our products and including relevant keywords and information to become more search engine friendly.

What are you currently working on?
We are currently working building relationships with a number of other retailers and suppliers. In retail you just can’t sit still, so we are looking at sourcing new products and expanding our offer. We have also recently signed new agreements with our carriers to provide an improved service to speed the delivery of our products.

For more information click here or visit the Tusted Shops Shopprofile of cheesybugtoys.co.uk.

What is Unitedprint.co.uk?
Unitedprint.com is a Europe-wide association of online print shops and unitedprint.co.uk is a full subsidiary.

Why did you decide to start an e-commerce business?
The aim of making printed products easily available for the general public.

When did your shop open?
Unitedprint.co.uk was opened on the 9th of March 2007 and our first shop (print24.co.uk) was launched on the 1st of July, 2006.

How did you start setting up your online shop?
We programmed the system ourselves. This way the conditions perfectly fit our needs and, essentially, the needs of our customers.

What are the advantages of your online shop against a high street store?
Our advantages against a conventional print shop are the easy and straight-forward handling, the price and our employees’ professionalism.

Are you working full time?
We are working full time for our online shop.

Which payment systems do you offer?
We offer Advanced Payment, Cash On Delivery, Credit Card, Paypal and Debit Card.

Where are your customers located?
unitedprint.co.uk primarily appeals to business customers, such as advertising agencies, graphic designers, printers and event organizers. But even if you are not an expert in printing you can use our freedesign tool on the website to create your own flyers, business cards and much more.

What did you do to increase the visibility of your shop?
Our marketing activities are focused on search engines and affiliate marketing. Besides we are conducting a direct marketing campaign at the moment.

What are your plans for the next months?
It is our primary goal to increase our customers’ confidence in us and to deploy the given resources ideally.

Customers can design their own brochures, business cards, letterheads etc. with the help of this configurator.

What have you done to increase consumer confidence?
We consider the following features in all our actions:

• Top quality – controlled production with up-to-date technology
• Fair price – best price offers inclusive – no hidden costs
• Promptness
• Satisfaction guarantee – trust and security
• Highly recommended helpdesk and service.

If you want more information click here for the Shop or take a look at the Shop profile at Trusted Shops.

Online retailers using ePages software enjoy considerable advantages and special conditions when applying for Trusted Shops accreditation. Trusted Shops has pre-accredited ePages software. Pre-accredited ePages software has built-in quality criteria approved by Trusted Shops. The major advantage for an Internet retailer using ePages software is a much faster accreditation process together with a discounted membership fee.

Retailers using ePages profit from a 30% discount on Trusted Shops membership!

Special application form for Internet retailers using ePages software.

ePages is a leading provider of software for online shops
ePages software powers over 40,000 online shops, making it a leading provider of e-commerce solutions worldwide. A global network of ePages partners tailors e-commerce solutions for small and medium-sized companies, customized precisely to their requirements. Enterprises such as Leonardo, Lindt, Skoda or Encyclopaedia Britannica run their e-commerce activities on ePages Merchant Edition. ePages is based in Hamburg and has offices in San Francisco, London, Barcelona and Jenae.

Interesting links:

• Trusted Shops Website: http://www.trustedshops.com
• ePages Website: http://www.epages.co.uk
• ePages special conditions: More…