A lot has been discussed about the measures you, as a small business, can take to ensure you adopt secured email or web facilities and choose the most effective online payment processes. Your customer will therefore feel reassured that you are taking security and Internet fraud seriously, but what you have not yet considered is convincing them that you also take their rights as a consumer seriously.

Trading on the Internet within the UK holds the same laws and consumer rights as any other form of trading, you should therefore adopt the same stringent policies as you would trading in any other circumstances.

Below are measures which you may or may not have already considered, but if you want to boost consumer confidence, particularly on the Internet, you must take steps to protect your customer.

From Start to finish

It is important that you think through the whole process of your ecommerce business carefully.  You need to be perfectly honest and broadcast your intentions online.  Ask yourself:  

• Are you clear about what it is you are offering?

• Can you meet the demand?

• Do you have clear terms and conditions?

• Are you clear about your changes (hidden costs)?

• Are you clear about how to go about paying?

• How will you confirm an order has been placed?

• What is you policy on returning goods?

• What are your guarantees and can you meet them?

• What site security measures have you taken and does your potential customer know this?

• How will you support your customer even when they complain?

• Have you thought through what errors might occur in this new virtual environment?

Outline your intentions, be bold and place your intentions as part of your web site ecommerce policy.  Tell potential customers how you will deal with them as a customer, from start to finish, and stick with your intentions. 

Electronic commerce transactions are subject to the same framework of domestic and international rules as traditional means of shopping..

Source: net benefit: the electronic commerce agenda for the UK