Once you get your eCommerce store up and running, the next big challenge is to make sure that your customers are secure in their shopping experience. If your shop gets hacked and your customers’ data is stolen, it’s extremely difficult to rebuild trust after that. Your products may sell themselves, but they are only as good as your security of eCommerce Store.
Black Buffalo offers an excellent example of a secure eCommerce site that keeps its customers safe while they shop. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can make sure your customers are just as protected as they are with some of the best sites on the internet:
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Use an Encrypted Website
When your website is encrypted, it is more difficult to hack into information shared by your visitors. You know if a site is using HTTPS encryption when you see a little closed padlock symbol in the left-hand side of the web address bar.
When customers share their information to make a purchase, the HTTPS service protects their information by sending it through a private, session-specific key so that it is not just hanging out in cyberspace waiting for someone to snatch it up.
Don’t worry if none of this makes sense to you. Your eCommerce platform likely already does this for you, but you want to check with your web host to make sure that everything is in place. To see an example of a properly encrypted site, check out this one for the best CBD gummies, or this one for CBD cream.
Require Super Secure Passwords
The next thing you want to keep in mind is that some of the Security of eCommerce Store you offer your customers is in their own hands. If they use the same password for every site they log on to, or their password is simple, then it’s going to be incredibly easy to steal their information.
Make sure your platform requires a strong password that includes a minimum number of characters (ten is ideal), a special symbol, and a mix of upper and lower-case letters. It’s even better if your customers have to change their passwords regularly.
This used to be a major pain, but there are some great password managers out there that suggest and store strong passwords so that customers only ever have to remember the one that gets them into their management account.
Don’t Store Sensitive Data
Storing your customers’ sensitive data makes everyone more vulnerable. Security of eCommerce Store is important if someone hacks into your data storage, they have access to every customer who has an account. It may be more convenient for your customers to have their credit card information automatically entered into their purchase form, but you don’t have to store that info on your own database.
Offering customers options like PayPal, GooglePay, or Apple Pay does not require that they set up a new account with you, and they are protected by using a payment system that was designed to keep their information secure.
Keep Everything Up to Date
With technology changing faster and faster, updates are crucial to managing the Security of eCommerce Store. Hackers are constantly searching for weaknesses in your consumer protections, and updates fix cracks in the system as they come up. Check your platform regularly for updates and run them when they come out.
It helps to create a schedule for maintenance so that you don’t forget. It’s good to aim for once a week, but you may want to consider doing it even more often to make sure you have all the latest protections for your customers.
Set Up Alerts
Some systems allow you to set up alerts when suspicious transactions take place. Once that transaction has happened, it is too late to entirely prevent data loss; but you can get a handle on some damage control when everyone knows as soon as possible.
Limit Access to Your Computer
This may seem like a simple concept, but the computer with which you manage your shop should also be as secure as possible. You may trust your friends and family, but you should not have your computer sitting out in the open and unlocked when you’re having a big party at your house.
Keep your work computer up to date, make sure you have strong virus protection, and lock it with a secure password. It should be in a room away from the general traffic that comes through your house (as in not in the living room or kitchen), and you should always be using a secure internet connection.
Final Thoughts
This list of suggestions here is by no means complete. It is meant to give you some pointers on where to start, but you will need to work directly with your platform and web hosting service in order to make sure you are getting the most out of the security services offered to you and your customers. Stay safe!
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