Millions of individuals are shopping online each day to spend billions of dollars in the process. As the number of customers is increasing by the day, it gives more opportunity for entrepreneurs to start a business online.
There is a wide selection of shops online that offer a variety of services and products to customers. However, all of them cannot be trusted. There are also many websites that are fraudulent, preying on amateur customers.
There are always bad players in the market, irrespective of the industry. But it doesn’t indicate that all websites are unreliable. If you are aware of the genuine sites, the ones you can trust, online shopping experience can be a glorious experience.
There are many ways you can spot a genuine website. We are going to discuss that further in this blog.
Payment Options
Payment options are quite similar in most parts of the world. But as it deals with your money as a customer, it is essential to make sure that it is safe and secure.
Some of the payment options offered by websites include –
- Wallet Payments, such as PayPal
- Credit Card Payments
- Debit Card Payments
- Cash/Card on Delivery
Don’t be fooled by the Appearance
Only if the website looks nice and pretty, you mustn’t trust the site with your financial information. There are high chances that they are fraudulent.
Anybody can set up a lovely website online. With no coding knowledge, attractive websites can be set up in less than an hour. With freelancers available on easy hire, creating a beautiful page is not difficult at all.
Therefore, it is okay to be skeptical. We are going to present a few signs that could help you in identifying a genuine and trustworthy website that will keep your private information safe online.
Make Sure There Is an “S” in HTTPS
Most of the websites begin with an “https” instead of “http,” which indicates that the website is encrypted. SSL certification is the reason behind this security feature.
It helps in protecting sensitive information that is fed to the site. Without the certificate, cybercriminals will be able to access the data very easily.
It shouldn’t be the only measure websites take to protect your information, but it is a good sign because it shows that the site cares enough to keep your data safe.
Checking the Website Privacy Policy
The privacy policy must communicate the data collection method, its usage, and ways of protection very clearly. It must also be on par with the legal policies of the nation.
Privacy policy indicates that the website is safe and is complying with all the laws.
Finding Contact Information
When you are looking through the website, make sure that you look for the contact information and verify it.
A physical address, a phone number, and an email address along with social media accounts indicate that the website is genuine.
Verifying the Trust Seal
When you see icons like “Verified” or “Secure”, it is present because of a trust seal. A security partner provides a trust seal. You need to make sure that the badge is a legitimate one.
You can do that by clicking the badge to be taken to the verification page.
By doing some research initially to spot the genuine players online, online shopping experience can be quite enriching, sometimes even better than shopping from physical stores.
