Safety Accreditations - Worthwhile?

[cicconeyouth]

Hi Guys,

I'm new to your forum - it seems like a hive of great information so looking forward to reading it regularly.

I work for a company who are developing their first e-commerce website.

Do you rate safety accreditations? Are they worth seeking out to add to your site? I looked at a website today which had signed up to two: SafeBuy and ISIS ('Internet Shopping is Safe').

I wondered if you thought they added any sense of perceiced security to your website? Obviously you pay for this accreditation and, as a user, that would undermine its validity in my eyes.

Any thoughts on this would very gratefully received!

Cheers,

Roger

[Matt Quinn]

Purely personal opinion... I don't think they're worth a light.

I'd rather know that my payment's being processed through a reputable provider such as worldpay. If I need to send money abroad I use PayPal or nothing (despite it's problems). At least then my credit card details are relatively safe.

If the seller's UK based I want to check out their company details.... 'wee badges' at the side of the screen mean now't to me.

[quikshop]

I take a slightly different view, I think safety accreditations can add that extra bit of confidence in a shop to some potential customers but choose carefully.

SafeBuy are apparently endorsed by the Government, or belong to a scheme that is, but there are lots of paid for accreditations out there not worth the dodgy bitmap logo they'll provide you with.

Bottom line, anything that builds confidence in your shop is a plus :D

[cicconeyouth]

Guys,

Thanks for the opinions there, it looks like there are different schools of thought out there.

I guess that as a user if you weren't convinced by their usefulness AND you saw a security accreditation it wouldn't put you off buying from the site. However if you were impressed by this, it might be a help...

Thanks for your help!

[boho]

ISIS I think is worth it, it's part of IMRG, the leading light on Internet research and advice, and it's IMRG who are listened to and quoted all the time in the press when it comes to facts and figures about online retail. I do trust websites with ISIS and the regulations are stricter than most. SafeBuy on the other hand I don't trust, it's a paid for scheme that proclaims to be regulated, but so far I've seen less evidence that it's actually the case.

Shopsafe accreditation seems to help me, and I didn't pay for it, I had to wait to be evaluated.

I agree with quikshop, anything that builds trust is a bonus, but I'd caveat it that as a customer I equally don't think all accreditations glitter like gold.