Imagine yourself owning a physical store. What kind of security can you offer your customers? You’ll probably have cameras, security guards, and alarm systems in your store. These are the kind of security measures that people understand. But what if you are an online retailer? How can you make sure your customers are secured? How can you convince them to leave sensitive information on your website? If you are the customer, what can an online store do to make you trust it?
The Cybercrime Magazine said that in the period from 2019 to 2022, online retail will be one of the top 10 most attacked industries. That’s why you need a cybersecurity solutions company. Just look at what happened to retail giant Target in late 2013. The company compromised more than 100 million credit and debit card information after its site has been hacked. Now, that may be forgivable seven years ago when cybersecurity tools aren’t as savvy. But, today? There is no reason for your eCommerce site to fall victim to cybercrime attacks.
Require Secure Passwords
Customers are using facial recognition and multifactor authentication tools to log in on different websites, including their online bank accounts. The principle behind this is one software holds the key to all of their passwords. This means that if their accounts get hacked, the hacker can use the same credentials on various websites. This will lead to widespread fraud.
Humans have very poor credential hygiene. They know they’ll likely forget complicated passwords. What they do is use one difficult password for all their accounts. Or, they use the easy ones, thinking they are safe from cyberattacks. Require your customers to build complex passwords before they can register for an account in your eCommerce store. You can even require a two-factor authentication from users where they’ll have to enter a one-time password in the system.
Acquire a Secure Socket Layer Certificate
A Secure Socket Layer or SSL certificate will enable the use of HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) on your website. This is the fastest and easiest way to secure the information that your site receives. Customers will know that your site is secured when there’s a closed green lock icon on the address bar just beside the URL address of the site. The URL address should also begin with https://.
Many service providers sell SSL credentials. Shop around before committing to one. Some vendors offer a more competitive price and additional security capabilities. You should use as many layers of security on your website as possible. It is not only for the protection of your customers’ information but for your own as well.
Use a Secure eCommerce Platform
While features, design, convenience, and functionality are at the top of your mind when choosing an eCommerce platform, security should be a priority. Choose only an eCommerce platform that has a proven track record in providing encrypted payment gateways, SSL certificates, and authentication protocols both for the buyers and sellers.
Don’t Ask for More Information Than You Need
Consumer privacy is critical when you’re running an eCommerce website. It is tempting to ask for more information from your customers. You can use it to create buyer personas and marketing strategies. However, the risks are massive. While businesses need customer information to develop new products and improve marketing techniques, there is also the danger of cyberattacks that can target this kind of sensitive information.
Collect only the data you need to process each transaction. Do not ask for more. This prevents the possibility of getting your customers’ information stolen. Is there anything more stressful for a business than telling customers that you jeopardized their personal and financial information? As long as you don’t ask for information that you don’t need, cybercriminals can’t steal those from you. If you do have sensitive customer information in your system, secure it with an online storage repository, total data encryption, and regular audits.
Focus on Security
Sometimes, because you are too busy growing your business, you forget about the security of your eCommerce website. This is not something your customers will likely forgive and forget. Keep in mind that part of your customer service is to ensure the security of the data they shared with you. The security of your eCommerce website is not a one-and-done deal. Cybercriminals evolve and so do the methods they used to hack into systems.
Cybersecurity is a real challenge for many eCommerce websites. However, this isn’t something you can easily shrug off. You have to be on top of securing your website and making sure that whatever customer data you have is stored safely.
