Increase Your Profits From Your Online Business -
Make Credit Card Facilities Available to Your Customers!
The Credit Card Song
Do you own an online business?
How much are you willing to do to ensure its success?
Online shopping has reached an unprecedented popularity with people from all walks of life across the globe. The Internet has simplified the search for products and services to the point where many people make it their first stop when they shop.
In the last decade online shopping has gone from something that most people considered vaguely dangerous - even sinister - to a social norm.
Consumers are buying anything and everything online - clothes, jewellery, art, books, DVD's and appliances. Even big-ticket items such as cars and houses can be purchased via the Internet!
Whatever you sell via your website, having an Internet-based business requires some standard inclusions to ensure your visitors have an enjoyable experience and that you have a successful one.
If you offer products or services for sale via your website, it is imperative that you have the facility to accept credit cards online.
It is expected by just about anybody that if you are selling online, you will accept credit cards. If somebody is perusing your site and finds that you do not have credit card facilities, then there is a good chance that you will lose the sale.
With all the options available to you, there is no good reason that you should not have credit card facilities available to your customers.
Ideally, you should have credit card payments available directly through your online store. This will save your customers the hassle of being taken off your site to a third party payment site. Some customers may become suspicious if they are directed off your site for payment, so if at all possible you should have the payment option in your own store.
However, this is not always a viable option for everybody. Especially when you are first starting your business you may not be able to afford the extra cost of an online store complete with credit card payment options. In this case, you can use a third-party payment site such as Pay Pal to take payments for your goods or services.
Using a third-party site is not ideal, but it is definitely preferable to having no credit card facilities available at all.
What about security?
In this age of heightened safety measures, you must also be able to ensure that your online store is secure so that potential customers feel safe when considering a purchase through your site.
To get an idea of what security measures you should take with your own site, you should look at some of the risks that can be associated with other sites.
You may notice some sites offer Verisign, which represents a secure system to accept credit cards online. While there is no absolute guarantee that anything is completely secure, you can feel relatively comfortable about giving out your information.
It is essential that you offer that same level of comfort to the customers who decide to buy from you, or they may not buy from you at all.
If you are shopping online, keep this in mind - while most sites accept credit cards online, some are safer than others. You can look for the Verisign logo, but there is something else you should be alert to as well. All web addresses start with http://. When you are on a secure site, it should instead read: https://.
The 's' means that the site you are on is secure.
Be careful when looking for sites that accept credit cards online - you should be cautious of decoy sites that are set up just to swipe your credit card number.
These are often referred to as phishing sites and many people fall prey to them every day. It usually begins with an email telling you that your information must be updated, and then offers you a link. When you click on the link, it takes you to a site that looks like the one you are expecting to see, but it is not, in fact, not the real thing. The moment you enter your information, criminals have access to your accounts.
To avoid problems with phishing sites, or sites that you are unsure of, make sure you type the Internet address in yourself. Open a new browser and type the address in as you know it. Remember that almost no one will ask you to verify any information via email.
If there is a problem, they will call you. If you are still unsure, look on the site for a phone number. Any site that is legitimate, and accepts credit cards online, will understand your hesitation and be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Buying and selling online can be a wonderful and convenient experience.
If you are offering goods and services through an online store you may be surprised at how easy it is to make money selling via the Internet. For convenience it is important that your credit card facilities are up-to-date - and remember that it is your responsibility to always offer your customers the safest of shopping experiences.
How much are you willing to do to ensure its success?
Online shopping has reached an unprecedented popularity with people from all walks of life across the globe. The Internet has simplified the search for products and services to the point where many people make it their first stop when they shop.
In the last decade online shopping has gone from something that most people considered vaguely dangerous - even sinister - to a social norm.
Consumers are buying anything and everything online - clothes, jewellery, art, books, DVD's and appliances. Even big-ticket items such as cars and houses can be purchased via the Internet!
Whatever you sell via your website, having an Internet-based business requires some standard inclusions to ensure your visitors have an enjoyable experience and that you have a successful one.
If you offer products or services for sale via your website, it is imperative that you have the facility to accept credit cards online.
It is expected by just about anybody that if you are selling online, you will accept credit cards. If somebody is perusing your site and finds that you do not have credit card facilities, then there is a good chance that you will lose the sale.
With all the options available to you, there is no good reason that you should not have credit card facilities available to your customers.
Ideally, you should have credit card payments available directly through your online store. This will save your customers the hassle of being taken off your site to a third party payment site. Some customers may become suspicious if they are directed off your site for payment, so if at all possible you should have the payment option in your own store.
However, this is not always a viable option for everybody. Especially when you are first starting your business you may not be able to afford the extra cost of an online store complete with credit card payment options. In this case, you can use a third-party payment site such as Pay Pal to take payments for your goods or services.
Using a third-party site is not ideal, but it is definitely preferable to having no credit card facilities available at all.
What about security?
In this age of heightened safety measures, you must also be able to ensure that your online store is secure so that potential customers feel safe when considering a purchase through your site.
To get an idea of what security measures you should take with your own site, you should look at some of the risks that can be associated with other sites.
You may notice some sites offer Verisign, which represents a secure system to accept credit cards online. While there is no absolute guarantee that anything is completely secure, you can feel relatively comfortable about giving out your information.
It is essential that you offer that same level of comfort to the customers who decide to buy from you, or they may not buy from you at all.
If you are shopping online, keep this in mind - while most sites accept credit cards online, some are safer than others. You can look for the Verisign logo, but there is something else you should be alert to as well. All web addresses start with http://. When you are on a secure site, it should instead read: https://.
The 's' means that the site you are on is secure.
Be careful when looking for sites that accept credit cards online - you should be cautious of decoy sites that are set up just to swipe your credit card number.
These are often referred to as phishing sites and many people fall prey to them every day. It usually begins with an email telling you that your information must be updated, and then offers you a link. When you click on the link, it takes you to a site that looks like the one you are expecting to see, but it is not, in fact, not the real thing. The moment you enter your information, criminals have access to your accounts.
To avoid problems with phishing sites, or sites that you are unsure of, make sure you type the Internet address in yourself. Open a new browser and type the address in as you know it. Remember that almost no one will ask you to verify any information via email.
If there is a problem, they will call you. If you are still unsure, look on the site for a phone number. Any site that is legitimate, and accepts credit cards online, will understand your hesitation and be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Buying and selling online can be a wonderful and convenient experience.
If you are offering goods and services through an online store you may be surprised at how easy it is to make money selling via the Internet. For convenience it is important that your credit card facilities are up-to-date - and remember that it is your responsibility to always offer your customers the safest of shopping experiences.