Public Perceptions re card transactions online

[Masterfulmatt]

I'd really like to get some feedback on what consumers think re carts and card payments.

The question is

Do customers prefer / trust / part with their money more with......

a) a seemless custom made checkout with security

b) either google checkout / paypal / worldpay

c) transfering to one of Securetrading / Protx etc

I can see pros / cons of each

a) web design - gives a more polished professional feel, more expensive site, reputable company - but are you really safe??

b) I know my payment is sound, but am I'm dealing with a "tinpot" "micky mouse" back bedroom business run from the chatsworth estate??

c) those in the know, know it's sound / secure etc but does the average web user have any idea who securetrading / protx are??

Anyone who's tried all 3 would be great but also after feedback as a "customer"

Answers on a postcard please

[JoyDivision]

There is three things I like to see from an e commerce site

1) A seemless checkout integrated with very professional looking site.
2) A proper security certificate with all the latest encryption etc.
3) A trading address which checks out as genuine, no address no sale. A phone number especialy a geographic one is also a major boost to my confidence.

I have bought stuff from people who have messy check out systems but they are usually UKBF members or people of ebay who I have bought stuff of before.

[beadell]

I think people are getting a lot more savvy with purchasing online and are also a lot more aware that they are protected by their credit card in most circumstances....

[Bilzo]

b) I know my payment is sound, but am I'm dealing with a "tinpot" "micky mouse" back bedroom business run from the chatsworth estate??

I think this used to be the case but I'm not sure anymore. Lots of small businesses use Paypal or similar services, and to me just because a business is small doesn't mean they are in any way 'dodgy'. The beauty of the net is that everyone has a voice and the same opportunity and I think most potential customers are more concerned abouty security then how big the company is... I'd rather buy from "Bob's books" than Amazon simply BECAUSE I prefer not to use big companies, whether the site used Paypal or not.

It is worth noting though that Paypal can be quite expensive per transaction and therefore might not be ideal for that reason. However, there's nothing to stop you from integrating more than one payment solution into your shopping cart and giving your customers a choice... IMO that would be the ideal solution since some people will make an impulse purchase when they know they have funds in their Paypal account, when perhaps they wouldn't have got their credit card out! Give the customer the choice of doing things their way and you'll be on to a winner.

[Brightpearl]

I would suggest that a payment provider such as Protx or SECPay can give a small website more credibility, although generally if you use a third party site for payment then your own checkout process won't be under SSL (though it can be of course). Once you can build a site that really looks the business (regardless of how large the company actually is), then you can perhaps look at the direct payment processing methods where the customer remains within the website at all times. These options do require SSL, but that also means that you can tag up your site with "trusted" logos and so on.

As a customer, I am an educated buyer so perhaps not so useful for advice in that respect, but a number of our clients use a number of methods, all of which seem to work at a similar level of customer preference;
PayPal, SecPay, Protx, in-line (for later processing on their PDQ machine), HSBC

At the end of the day, if you explain exactly what is going on at each step of the process, without making it too lengthy then the customer should be happy.

For our clients that give the customer a choice, they often add a small fee for the PayPal route due to the extortionate fees... which doesn't appear to discourage buyers which is perhaps a little surprising. Depends on your market I guess.

[Masterfulmatt]

Thanks for the views, I agree with your comments.

Bilzo, personally I'm with you, the small guy wins my business everyday over the faceless giants with next to no customer service. If I'm faced with a worldpay / paypal checkout I generaly phone and pay by alternative means, if I'm happy with the price then I want that company to get my money, not lose 1/2 their margin to paypal etc.

[Peter1982]

I'm no expert but can tell you my experiences.

We started out just using Paypal as our only payment method. This worked ok but we lost sales with people having trouble using it and I felt a little bit amature, like you say 'chatsworth estate'.

The we upgraded and we now use Protx. This works well and we still have the Paypal option which people still use every now and then. I don't believe we loose any sales to lack of trust but it's hard to tell.

When we have a bit more funds and time I do plan on having a smooth transaction and SSL cert so customers never leave our site. I'll always leave paypal as an option though (sometimes people don't have a card on them to pay)

Peter

[Brightpearl]

'Matt- the flipside of the coin is that small businesses can be very busy, and the only way for them to increase their sales without it costing an arm and a leg in new staff is to get more people to buy online...

"oh no, not the phone again, why can't he just use the website?"

[Mister B]

Just a small penny for your thoughts regarding the level of security.

I know and understand the effectiveness and security of SSL but I have bought off certain sites which have pertained to have SSL but my card has still been scammed.

For this reason as a customer, I would have no problem being redirected to a secure payment system such as Protx. Simultaneously, as a new, small business, I think that Protx offers both myself and my customers added security for a minimal level of hassle and cost.

As I said, just another opinion.

Mister B

[Masterfulmatt]

'Matt- the flipside of the coin is that small businesses can be very busy, and the only way for them to increase their sales without it costing an arm and a leg in new staff is to get more people to buy online...

"oh no, not the phone again, why can't he just use the website?"

Yeah good point, I've been there before in a previous life, where we doing 18 hour days and had to have the phone numbers removed from all literature because we couldn't cope otherwise.