Even though more and more people feel free to make purchases from their computers, tablets, and smartphones, some people still find these methods of doing business insecure. A retail business is a trust-based industry, so if your audience believes that you can’t protect their data and money, they aren’t likely to buy from you. In fact, just a rumor of a breach may be enough to run your brand into the ground, which is why you need to do all that’s in your power to avoid this from ever happening. Here are several efficient customer protection tips that your online business just might find useful.
#1 Install and update the right software
Your first line of defense is your cyber-security arsenal. By this, we’re talking about your anti-virus software, anti-malware tool, and spyware prevention software. While individual users may sometimes choose a frugal option of going with a free version in order to save money, this is a luxury that an online business can’t afford to make. Instead, you need to pick the best option for your brand (cost-efficiency-wise), install it and remember to regularly update it. Also, make sure to go with a scalable option, in order to avoid potentially expensive systemic changes later on.
#2 Use a gift card system
One more amazing idea for protecting the data of your customers is the use of a gift-card system. The reason why this is so reliable is due to the fact that, in case of theft, you don’t actually have to worry about the cardholder information. Instead, you can go with a MasterCard gift card system and protect some of your customers’ most important data from those who would do them harm. As for the hazard that comes from the scenario where your users use their credit card to buy gift cards, there are two ways to resolve the situation. First, you can accept only cash or debit card payments or you can put a cap on the value that can be purchased at one time.
#3 Delete it afterward
Most businesses prefer to keep customer data for two reasons. First, it gives them a chance to study and analyze this data in order to make their organization more efficient. Second, it gives your e-store or site a chance to facilitate the checking process and personalize the customer experience. On the other hand, by deleting this data, you’re completely avoiding the possibility that it will be stolen or misused by a malicious third party. This reason alone may not seem or sound as big as the previous two. However, it is something that the future of your business and its reputation may come to depend on.
#4 Ask as little as possible
This next tip implies that you should ask your customer for minimum information, to begin with. Keep in mind that while this may harm your analytical efforts, it will make your customers not only be safer but also feel safer. Ask only things that you absolutely need to know. This will also make you seem more trustworthy in the eyes of your customers. In this scenario, if there ever comes to a breach, these hackers won’t be able to learn what you don’t know. Needless to say, this is a simple, yet incredibly effective customer protection technique.
#5 Allow purchase without registration
Lastly, you can allow your customers to buy items without actually having to register, which makes them fairly anonymous to both you and those who would do them (and your brand) any harm. Keep in mind that the last three ideas are mostly variations to the one and the same issue and the choice of which of them you should use is yours alone. Nevertheless, you should also remember that allowing purchase without registration also tends to boost your sales. This is because asking customers to register an account sometimes amounts to about 37 percent of the entire shopping cart abandonment rate.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, you need to understand that there’s only so much you can do as a business in order to protect your customers. What this means is that not even the most ironclad system on the entire internet can protect a customer who does nothing to protect themselves. A practice like using the same password for all of their social media accounts and payment gateways is something that will backfire regardless of what you do. This is an inevitability that you’ll just have to accept. For all the rest, it’s your duty as a responsible entrepreneur to protect the confidential information of your clients.
Dan Radak
Dan Radak is a marketing professional with eleven years of experience. He is a coauthor on several websites and a regular contributor to BizzMark Blog. Currently, he is working with a number of companies in the field of digital marketing, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies.