Company Information - THE WEBSITE - Electronic Commerce 101

People who shop online, particularly if they are new to buying online, are looking for re-assurance that they are not going to get ripped off. They want to make sure that they are not going to lose their money or get something less than they are paying for. When you walk into a brick and mortar store, you can hold the item you plan on buying and look at it and know you are buying the exact item you are holding in your hand. There’s a physical place you can go to if something goes wrong with the item, or if you need to return it. When buying online customers don’t have those re-assurances, so in order to make them feel at ease there are a few important things you can add to your website to help them feel secure in making a purchase.

One of the things mentioned earlier is a phone number. This makes customers feel better because they have another means besides your website to contact you. They know they can talk to an actual person and get the immediate satisfaction of a live person if they need it. Having a street address listed also helps them feel more secure. People like knowing that there’s an actual place where people are who can assist them. Post Office boxes or a complete lack of address on your website can give a feeling of a “fly by night” operation that may not be there if they have a problem. If you have a street address, put it on your site so people can find it if they are looking for it.

People also feel more secure if they can find information about the company they’re about to do business with. A little bit of history or details of a company can make people feel like they are not giving their money to a computer somewhere. Your company information doesn’t have to say that you’re a corporate giant or have been in business for 20 years, although if those are true it doesn’t hurt to put that in the information page. If you’re a college student or a mom and pop business, people will do business with you as long as they know you are a legitimate business.

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