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6 Things Shoppers Want in Online Stores

6 Things Shoppers Want in Online Stores
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

6 Things Shoppers Want in Online Stores

The internet seems to be taking over the world, one day at a time. In a scenario where nearly, anything can be found online, it feels as if internet has simplified all aspects of human life. However, the true convenience is displayed in online shopping. People want to save their valuable time and purchase everything online. This means it is amazing if you have an online store. But, it is not enough. With so much competition coming up, it is vital that you know what your customers are expecting from you and deliver that to stay ahead of your game.

So, besides a wide range of products, here are 6 things that shoppers want from online stores:

  1. A website that is easy to navigate

As an online shopping website owner, it is essential that you operate a website that is easy to navigate. Seamless shopping experience is the key to online shopping, and that is the first thing they want when they log in to your website. It should be easy to know where to browse, what you offer and the website should load quickly. Besides an easy navigation, your website should also be mobile friendly, which means it should have a mobile version too as most people browse from smartphones.

  1. A fast checkout option

One of the very important considerations in an online shopping website is the actual checkout process. In an offline store, people need to wait in line at the cash counter and the queue is unusually longer in peak hours. You see, this is the prime reason people resort to online shopping. So, offer an option where people can opt not to fill a huge registration form needing irrelevant details. Your e-commerce payment portal should be efficient and fast. Along with that, there should be adequate and secure payment options. It is important that you get your e-commerce payment gateway integration from a reputed source in order to provide secure payment at the time of checkout.

  1. Customer reviews

Customer reviews of products on your website are trusted as much as a personal recommendation. They also give more credibility to your store along with a trust factor for your customers. But, do not resort to getting fake reviews written. Let your work speak! You can send an email to your customers few days after their purchase to write a review. Do not forget to mention a direct link to the review page.

  1. Free shipping

Who does not love free stuff? At least, all your customers do. Free shipping or competitive shipping policies greatly influence customer behavior. It has been seen that shoppers do not mind spending a bit more if the shipping is free. It makes more sense to them to buy an additional product rather than spend money on shipping.

  1. A blog

Numerous online stores now have their own blogs. These blogs are mostly about their customers. A blog basically helps as an opportunity to position yourself as an expert and hence leads to customers trusting you more. Many shoppers turn to blogs for help, advice and a variety of information. The topics can range from how to posts to latest fashion trends – basically anything that goes with your store. A good blog can act as a voice of your brand, but you need to be careful that you do not use your blog entirely for sales purposes.

  1. Good customer service

This needs no mention. A good customer service both before and after sales is one of the highest and very rational expectations of an online shopper. If you are dealing with unhappy customers at your hand who need quick answers, it is vital that you have a solid customer support network. You may think of including a chat box on your website or a social media team to handle your queries.

As an owner of an online store, you need to understand what motivates a person to shop online in the first place and then give those reasons why they should shop with you. Adding the above mentioned things to your store will surely lead to a successful e-commerce platform.

7 years ago
How Not to Get Hacked: 8 Security Steps for Your Small Business
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

How Not to Get Hacked: 8 Security Steps for Your Small Business

Hacking is a very real danger for small businesses that go online to connect with more customers and improve their sales. Just like a physical store, your e-store or website is not safe unless you take proper precautions against fraudsters who want to steal your sensitive information, customer data or card details. Hackers often have other malicious intents too, like tarnishing your reputation by changing the website content or putting offensive messages on your customer’s screen. And they are fast too, which means you must be on your guard always to prevent security breaches and report hacking attacks whenever they happen. It is your legal obligation these days as well. So, here are 8 ways to get started:

  • Be more careful about access control – You need to make your website’s admin level stronger to prevent the entry of hackers. So, request your customers to use usernames and passwords that are complex and hard to guess. Changing the database prefix from wp6 to something which is more difficult to guess is a good idea too. Put a limit on login attempts, as email accounts get hacked too nowadays and sending a password reset link numerous times can pose risk. Avoid sending login information via email, or a hacker who has gained control over the account can use it for malicious purposes.
  • Never ignore updates – Installing regular updates on your system is essential if you want your security software to actually prevent hacking incidents. If you delay an update, your website will get exposed to the possibility of phishing attempts or identity thefts. Do note that hackers are constantly looking for websites that have security vulnerabilities, and once any one hacker knows how to get into your system, even others will.
  • Consider installing security applications – By installing paid security applications, you can prevent hacking attacks better. They offer an extra layer of security and conceal the identity of your website’s CMS as well. These applications work very well against automated hacking tools, which go through numerous websites in an hour to look for security vulnerabilities.
  • A WAF or Web Application Firewall is a must – This software or hardware based firewall is like a filter between your data connection and website server. It reads all the data that passes through it and can hence prevent hacks, malicious bots and spamming. A WAF is usually cloud-based and has complete control on the incoming traffic for your website.
  • Enhance network security – There are some simple measures you can take to avoid getting hacked on a daily basis. For instance, make sure your customers as well as employees change their passwords regularly. Also, passwords should be complex, hard to guess and should never be noted down anywhere. Logins should expire if the session is inactive for a while. And every time a device is connected to a network, it should be checked for malware.
  • Use a payment gateway with SSL – Every small business needs to use a secure payment gateway like PayTabs where an encrypted SSL protocol is used to transfer sensitive information between your database and website. This way, no one can read or access data like customer details or card information while they are being transferred, without proper authorization.
  • Avoid free Wi-Fi – If you are connecting to the internet outside office, try using a private hotspot through your smartphone or a VPN. Stay away from free Wi-Fi connections. A VPN will first log you into a private network before you can gain access to an open network, and hence is an added layer of safety.
  • Backup always – A website can sometimes become a prey to hacking attacks, despite the many security measures you take. Hence, it is wise to backup data and files every day, multiple times. Try to backup both onsite and offsite and in several locations. This way, you will still have your data if your hard drive fails.

As a small business in the online world, you need to be extra careful to keep hackers and fraudsters at bay. So, keep the above tips in mind and stay updated with steps to prevent hacking in future as well.

7 years ago
4 Easy Steps to Improve Your Payment Experience
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

4 Easy Steps to Improve Your Payment Experience

Your payment process may seem technical, almost insignificant. But with over ¾ of shoppers choosing to abandon their cart, your payment gateway is worth considering.

To help you boost your sales, we have found four possible solutions – simplify, clear instructions, broadening your means of payment, and ensuring safety.

Simplify

Critical to the success of purchase completion, your process must be simple and easy to use. Don’t clutter your portal attempting to sell the user a few more items. Make sure the user can review their cart, click back to the main page if necessary, and place emphasis on buttons or links that move the purchase along.

It can be helpful to work with a UX designer or commit to user testing to see where your design might be confusing your customers.

Clear Instructions

Similar to the point of simplification, you need to make sure that all instructions are clear and to the point. Use conversational language, and on each screen, only include information that is crucial to that step in the process.

If possible, include accessible options, such as audio instructions. And if your site is serving a multilingual audience, it may be prudent to invest in translation.  Over 70% of consumers are willing to buy products with information in their native language. If your userbase largely speaks Spanish, but your payment process is in English, it may discourage them from finishing the task.

Payment and Receipts

In order to make the payment process as painless as possible, it’s best to include various forms of payment options. This includes not only accepting credit and debit cards like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, but also accepting digital payment methods like PayTabs.

You should also make coupon options clear-cut, with the customer either selecting the coupon, or inserting the code. In countries like India, many consumers still prefer cash on delivery payment methods, so excluding this may prompt users to abandon their purchase.

Furthermore, it is important to send out a receipt after payments are completed so that the consumer builds confidence in your system. Whether a physical product will be shipped or not, it is vital to send the consumer an email receipt.

Ensure Safety

Lastly, safety is of the upmost importance. While the data provided for the user is important for completing a purchase, that same information could destroy their lives if in the wrong hands. And this doesn’t just provide security for the consumer – it helps you as well. After all, you don’t want to be entangled in a case of payment fraud.

In order to ensure your payment portals are secure, make sure to follow SSL protocols. Users will recognize if you have this functionality immediately, as a lock icon will appear in the URL bar. This is a cost-effective way to improve your security and build consumer trust.

In addition to becoming PCI compliant, make sure never to store payment information on your servers, especially credit or debit card information. Consider using tokenization to randomize the secure data sent to your servers. This will boost your security considerably and minimize payment fraud.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, your consumers will benefit from a simplified design and easy-to-read instructions. Furthermore, accepting various payment methods will make the process easier in case of card failure or other technical mishaps, and keeping your site secure will protect both you and the consumer.

A properly maintained and designed payment gateway helps to build trust with the consumer, so that they will not only buy from you again, but they will also enjoy the experience.

7 years ago
Are You Spending Too Much on Shipping?
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

Are You Spending Too Much on Shipping?

One of the easiest ways to provide excellent customer experience in your online business is by providing convenient, excellent and affordable shipping. However, this comes at a cost, and in a business environment where all expenses seem to be rising, you need to have a look at your shipping costs once again. You have to maintain a balance by offering the best customer experience while at the same time cutting costs on shipping logistics.  According to a recent survey carried out by Jupiter Media Matrix Inc and published by Forbes, 63% of customers abandoned a purchase due to excessive shipping costs.  With such insight, the free shipping threshold set by giant retailers such as Amazon becomes all the more significant.

So, are you spending too much on shipping? Is there anything you can do about it? This article gives insights on how to optimize your shipping strategy without compromising on the customer experience.

How to Start Reducing High Cost of Shipping

Most experts put freight spend at 9-11% of sales. According to a Canadian Shipper Report, transportation spend is about 10-11% for businesses with less than $250 million in sales. For those with revenues more than $9 billion, freight costs range between 2-3%.  Some of the ways to deal with high shipping costs include:

  1. Identifying Overspending in Shipping

Common pitfalls leading to high costs of shipping include:

  • Using flat rate boxes to ship everything: “If it fits in the box, it ships at the same price every time,” and this is a great thing for you up to a point. Other alternatives can save you money depending on the item you wish to ship including Regional Rate Boxes and Priority Mail.
  • Relying on SmartPost and SurePost alone: These two options are great but they still depend on the United States Postal Service at the last mile to deliver a package to the customer’s doorstep. A cheaper option would be to use the United States Postal Service all the way as they now match the rates offered by SmartPost and SurePost and other shipping services.
  • Failure to account for dimensional weight: If you haven’t started factoring in a dimensional weight (DIM weight) introduced by FedEx and UPS in 2015, you might be paying more for your shipping. Today, shippers use DIM weight calculation and an actual weight calculation for every package, and you pay the higher rate. You have to start considering overall package size and weight more keenly to pay a lower rate when shipping.
  • Failure to use other packaging options: Don’t use boxes for everything and instead consider Poly mailers for items which are not fragile. It cuts down the cost of shipping.

 

  1. Optimize Your Free/Affordable Shipping Strategy

To offer free shipping without breaking the bank, consider the following options:

  • Free Shipping for Domestic Orders only
  • Free Shipping for orders over a certain order amount
  • Free shipping for return customers
  • Free Shipping for a minimum number of items purchased
  • Adjust the price of product downwards to reduce “stated” shipping costs

 

  1. Find Ways to Reduce Costs of Shipping

Consider the following strategies:

  • Buying packaging from discount suppliers
  • Negotiating bulk discounts
  • Reusing and recycle
  • Using shipping rate calculators to find the best rates
  • Batch-process as much as you can for higher efficiency and reduced costs
  • Use hybrid services for bigger shipping discounts. Delivery takes longer but you save money in the process.
  • Use a third party logistics company/international warehouse

It is also important to audit all invoices for errors, consolidate shipments and seek referrals from other businesses to find the best shipping rates. If you feel your shipping spend is too high, these strategies will help reduce costs and keep your business going.

By combining an affordable shipping experience with seamless payment processing using the best payment gateway, your business stands a better chance in the competitive e-commerce landscape. It is a high time you choose the best payment gateway and be able to streamline your shipping process.

7 years ago
4 Ways to Prevent Credit Card Fraud at Your Business
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

4 Ways to Prevent Credit Card Fraud at Your Business

It is true that online businesses have made life easy for most people all over the world, as long as they have a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Shopping for clothes, grocery, jewelry and even insurance has become a piece of cake! You can buy things to your heart’s content from the comfort of your home or your office or you can place an order even on the go. Digitization has also helped online merchants to connect with more customers than ever, and they now have a chance to expand their businesses and earn more in an easier manner.

The biggest concern for e-stores

But like everything in life, e-stores have a major weakness. And that is, they are highly susceptible to credit card frauds. Besides hacking and phishing, account takeover and identity thefts are other frauds you might face from time to time, as an online merchant. Fraudsters might steal personal and financial information of customers, or steal usernames and passwords to make unauthorized purchases. Frauds are especially harmful for small businesses and hence it is essential that you follow these tips to prevent them:

  • PCI compliant payment gateway – To protect customer data against online frauds, the PCI SSC or Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council has come up with a set of best practices. And this is mandatory for online businesses to follow. So, it makes sense to use a payment gateway like PayTabs that is PCI compliant and has a double-layered fraud prevention system.

 

  • Keep an eye on transactions – As a merchant, you surely have an idea about the buying patterns of different customers. You know those who buy expensive products or buy in bulk. So, monitor transactions and your accounts daily to watch out for suspicious shipping information or inconsistent billing addresses. Tools for tracking IP addresses can also help, as they will alert you in case any address is originating from a fraud-prone area or country. Also note that frauds generate more from free email addresses than paid ones.

 

  • Use AVS and ask for CVV – AVS or Address Verification System is used by many online merchants to compare the customer address on a credit card company’s file with the numerical part of the address on the actual credit card. Use a payment gateway that does this checking automatically for you. The CVV on the other hand is the 3 or 4 digit security code that you will find on the back of credit cards. Now, if you are wondering why asking for the CVV is effective every time, it is because as per PCI rules, CVV cannot be stored with card owner name or credit card number. So, unless a fraudster steals a credit card, they cannot get hold of the CVV. Payment processors like PayTabs always include a tool that asks the shopper for the CVV number while checking out.
  • Use only the latest software and platforms – Providers of operating systems constantly update the software with security measures that prevent attacks from malware, viruses and frauds. So make sure you run only the latest operating system. Also install and update anti-spyware and anti-malware software from time to time, to prevent fraud attacks. These security software products should be business grade and not free ones with limited features.

Besides the above measures, try setting limits in terms of dollar value or the number of purchases you will accept from the same account per day. This can minimize your losses in case of fraud. Also, make sure your customers provide a strong alphanumeric password which is at least 8-charcater long and contains a special character or a capital to be extra safe. Inform your customers that long and complex passwords are necessary to prevent hacking. Otherwise, hackers can run programs that will run through all possible permutations of a password and crack it.

A little discretion and care can help you keep your online business safe from frauds. This will not only prevent monetary losses but also protect your reputation in the industry.

7 years ago