Comments on: Sorry, I Don’t Give My Credit Card Online

By: พระเครื่อง

พระเครื่อง — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:35:56 +0000

This is great. Thanks for posting.

By: Richard Gomes

Richard Gomes — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:32:30 +0000

Being very experienced in IT I’m absolutely paranoid about security, mainly because I’ve already seen many times confidencial information ‘written down’ in databases as plain text, i.e: any human can read and print!
It obviously is fertile field for hackers and this kind of security breach is very common, much more than people can think.

1. I only shop if the transaction ‘jumps’ to Paypal or some other very very trustworthy payment gateway. If I have to provide my credit card info to John Smith’s website… well… I’m out… does not matter if there’s green padlock, SSL or whatever.

2. I never shop if I have to provide my credit card’s security code. This is absolutely non-sense! Come on, it’s your own, private security code!… You are not supposed to publish this confidential information or tell it to John Smith over the phone! Your credit card administrator told you to keep this information secure, isn’t it? Was John Smith really his name or was he an hoax? I live in the UK for 3 years now and I’ve never seen such security breach like this.

In my humble opinion:

1. winning websites should ‘jump’ to Paypal and/or other very very trustworthy websites. I’m sure that paranoids like me will appreciate and non-paranoids will not bother at all. So, you will be OK.

2. Never, I repeat: never! ask the security code in your website or over the phone. And more: advertise with bold capitals that you never ask the security code. Your customers will slowly understand that this is a critical piece of information which should never be disclosed; you will develop loyalty among your customers and they will prefer your website instead your competitor’s website.

Thanks

Richard Gomes

By: 69 Free (or low cost) Tools to Improve Your Website

69 Free (or low cost) Tools to Improve Your Website — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:25:09 +0000

[...] 68. PaymentCentral Offers an automated service that allows customers to complete their online transactions by telephone. I blogged about someone who does something like this, in Sorry, I don’t give my credit card online. [...]

By: Printable Scrapbook

Printable Scrapbook — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:47:37 +0000

Good Post, thanks.

Great posts Here. I¡m a business owner in Spain, with most orders coming from the UK. Does anyone in a similar position have a line provider service/company they can recommend.
Mee too.

By: Photo albums

Photo albums — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:45:37 +0000

Really great idea. I plan to implement it on my site as well.

Thanks!

By: Scott Salwolke

Scott Salwolke — Sat, 09 May 2009 00:06:00 +0000

I just passed this article onto a client. They’ve been having problems with shopping cart abandonment. This is certainly worth experimenting with.

By: Sinus Infection Symptoms

Sinus Infection Symptoms — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:04:42 +0000

Many people just prefer to order over the phone. They feel safer and more secure that their credit card information is protected and that there is a “Real Person” working at the company that they are dealing with.

Many people are afraid of getting ripped off by companies that are not real.

Great post and thanks.

By: Fraser Mcculloch

Fraser Mcculloch — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:28:53 +0000

Sweet and simple. Every little helps.

By: uitvaartverzekering

uitvaartverzekering — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:19:18 +0000

In the Netherlands we have iDeal, works perfect, every bank supports it and most important: customers dare to use it.

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:10:24 +0000

“What is the point of having a call centre that doesn’t take orders? Would they rather have call centres where customers didn’t give them money?”

Mark nailed it.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:06:22 +0000

Well firstly a credit card isn’t the only option for taking orders online. There’s a whole host of alternatives from paypal, Google Checkout, Bill Me Later, automated bill to my phone methods, direct debits, wire transfers, even sending the orders by fax.And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The other issue is: What is the point of having a call centre that doesn’t take orders? Would they rather have call centres where customers didn’t give them money?

That attitude astounds me.

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:12:07 +0000

Incidentally it’s logical to offer people as many ways as possible to pay. We know it should be about what THEY want throughout the sales process; if not then to a degree we’re dictating… not nice!

Over here you often get a tut and eyeball rolling if you pay cash with a note that’s deemed too large a denomination by the shop attendant or whoever. A staff training issue too here of course, but we owners need to be reminded from time to time that it’s giving the customer what he wants with no BS that maximises retention and recommendation.

By: Neil

Neil — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:41:50 +0000

Great posts Here. I¡m a business owner in Spain, with most orders coming from the UK. Does anyone in a similar position have a line provider service/company they can recommend.

By: Georjina

Georjina — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:32:16 +0000

Have plenty of food for thought with the suggestions here. PetFoodDirect appears to be a great option for smaller retailers.

The only issue, especially online is the demographics of buyers. Is it cost effective to offer international 800 service on a $20-$100 sale?

Guess like everything else in business – test it before doing a full roll out.

By: Brandon Ernst

Brandon Ernst — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:13:33 +0000

Everyone’s comments are great and those that oppose or argue small points are missing the big picture. The evolution of Multi-channel is moving toward a customer centric multi-channel ecosystem. The additional benefits of providing this option, as mary points out is a clear indicator for channel channel preference. Tracking behavioral characteristics and then applying that data toward their next experience with your organization will increase the customer lifetime value leading to more purchases, higher referral rates, increased ROI etc. The phone channel does provide the opportunity to up sell and cross-sell as well as track customer satisfaction etc. and augment your current data with other questions. Opening this channel will also lead to refinement of of your current customer personas and possibly lead to an additional persona added to the mix. If this new segment/persona prefers phone transactions in general you could also experience higher ROI from adding programs to that channel based on some simple testing. Anyway I am 100% behind the addition of an 800 number.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:09:41 +0000

Bryan – great post! Perception is the main issue. We hear this from out phone-order customers (daily) who just feel more comfortable giving their credit card info over the phone. Customers buy based on their needs, not ours.

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:34:26 +0000

This is less of a problem now than has been for the past 15 years, but it’s still a problem — and worth addressing in this way, especially for companies that market to older folks.

I can’t begin to fathom how much money certain retailers have missed out on by not implementing this at the turn of the century, when practically all of the late majority was freaked out by using their credit cards online.

By: Jay Hamilton-Roth

Jay Hamilton-Roth — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:09:14 +0000

Don’t forget that by having a phone conversation with a customer, you can survey your client for their needs and also increase the possibility for an upsell.

By: John Quarto-vonTivadar

John Quarto-vonTivadar — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:34:25 +0000

The problem with the scale argument (”I’ll do it for 10% but I won’t for 0.5%”) is that 10% gains typically come from a long series of 0.5% boosts, rather than one big 10% gain. That’s why hiring only home-run sluggers doesn’t produce championship teams.

By: Sharyn Compton

Sharyn Compton — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:45:30 +0000

I’m new to Twitter and the comments above are exactly why I joined. We’re having a heck of a time with ecommerce and need the option of direct contact with the customer. Thanks!

By: Rob Metras

Rob Metras — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:44:10 +0000

Yes Bryan and that approach bonds better with older customers.It also allows a personal upsell.

By: Jackie Day

Jackie Day — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:40:52 +0000

Right you are Mary and Gail. Online stores unfortunately can leave the customer feeling…cold & alone come checkout time. Click, tap and enter and we don’t get to really know the customer, except when there is an issue. Not the best scenario to build relationships although, how it is handled can earn ourselves a new loyal customer. Unfortunately, it is the nature of online retail: even if the site is filled to the brim with babies and butterflies and lil’ yellow duckies, the “cold & detached” atomosphere at checkout is where we lose our competitive edge that we find with traditional brick & mortars.

By: Jackie Day

Jackie Day — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:38:46 +0000

By giving the customer the “choice” to finalize their purchase with a live person completely changes their online buying experience. From cold and isolated.. to.. Hey.. THank you for your order. Do you have any questions… Is there anything more I can asssit your with.. and not matter how great a writer you are.. the autoresponders are not REAL enough, not quick enough, and not listening. At the end of the day… the customers want to know that you care. That you care about their transaction, why they’re getting it, why its special. It may seem insignificant to some..but “shopping is personal” For those still learning to accept online stores and sharing their personal information in this way, through the power of “choice”, over time these same customers will know you like they know the corner hobby shop and will feel more comfortable to shop online. As they evolve.. so will our bottom line.

By: Gail Reece

Gail Reece — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:36:08 +0000

Hey Rick and Chris thanks for the replys.

Here’s a link so that you can see my one sites demographics: http://www.quantcast.com/delectably-yours.com?userView=Public#demographics

I’ve tried a regular phone number vs the 800# and it is worth the $29.99 a month. I got mine though evoice receptionist. Can have it forward to various numbers or they leave a message and you can hear online even.

We are all comfortable buying online because we’re accustomed to it, it’s our business. We know there is more risk handing to a waitress than using our site. But until the general public is educated enough we make our business plan fit they buying plans.

The majority of people that prefer to call are above 55 with the area of the country making a huge difference. Not everyone has a high speed connection or even a pc. Some just want to know who we are and feel comfortable that it’s not a scam. Lower priced items are not as hard so the’ll test it. My average sale has been fluctuating between $175 and $225.

Test it, get a trial 800#. Answer the phone 9-5 for a week solid. Next week transfer it to voice message. See how sales go? What can it hurt?

By: Rich Nadworny

Rich Nadworny — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:09:33 +0000

Oops, should have said
“people feel more comfortable giving their numbers offline”