The risks of eCommerce?
A recent survey by PayPoint has indicated that although over 25% of SMEs know that online trading will only increase over the next few years and that it is vital to capture their share of this market, they have not yet made the move to eCommerce.
The report highlighted 2 main areas of concern. A third of SMEs are scared of the risk of internet fraud and over half believe they would not be able to generate enough traffic to make the investment worthwhile.
Like any type of fraud, the threat of internet fraud is unlikely to ever go way completely. There will always be someone out to cheat the system. However improvements are constantly being made to internet security and the payment process in response to these threats.
According to a recent article on the BBC website, there has been ‘a 19% drop in the fraudulent use of cards to buy items over the phone, internet or by mail order - known in the industry as "card not present" fraud.’ This has been attributed this, in part, to the use of additional online payment facilities, such as Mastercard Secure Code and Verified by Visa. This additional functionality asks the buyer to enter another Pin code before the purchase can be completed.
The second concern of visibility and not being able to generate enough traffic is a concern I come across on a daily basis and not just in relation to an ecommerce website. No one can guarantee that any business venture will be risk free and similarly no one can guarantee that they can get a website to page 1 in the organic listings for your chosen keywords.
I regularly come across companies who have had a bad experience of websites. They have been promised the earth and then the website has failed to deliver the desired results. If a basic website does not work why invest in an ecommerce site?
If you have a product and/or service that people are looking for then a well constructed website that looks good, reflects your company values, is search engine friendly and makes it easy for people to buy from you is going to get your business off to a good start. But the work does not stop once the website has gone live. You and your competitors are vying for the top spot in the organic listings so the website has to be maintained on a regular basis. You may decide not to but a number of your competitors will be maintaining theirs. Do you really want your website to be left behind?
Make the website the backbone of your marketing campaign, implement your strategy and constantly look for ways to drive traffic to your site, such as through the use of social media. You will then have the greatest chance of making your website visible, driving traffic to it and ultimately improving your profits.
