Ecommerce is a potentially lucrative business. However, there are risks involved just like any other business. You may not totally eliminate these. The good thing is that there are things that you can do that can help you minimize the occurrence of these risks.
Fake online reviews
Fake reviews are everywhere even in ecommerce. The truth is that a great review for a product will do so much good for it. Some authors, though, have admitted to having posted reviews that would favor certain products without telling the truth. There are websites that discuss these. Some of their customers demanded a refund plus a positive review for them. It is important that you weed these fakes from the real ones. If you come across a review that lacks detail of the product, be wary of this. You can do a backgrounder on the reviewer. See if he has social media and maybe you can check out if this person is real or not. Or maybe you can check if he has other reviews. The power of social media is second to none in situations like these. This is one of the best ways to validate a review.
Don’t be afraid to ask lots and lots of questions
There are ecommerce businesses that are having a difficult time handling and separating fake products from the authentic ones. With third party sellers in the scene, it is very difficult to control the situation. If you see a branded product and yet the price is way down low for it, then there is a good chance that this is fake. In cases like this, it is important that you do a little digging on this third party entity. You can do this by asking the right questions. Whatever it is that you find out, you are going to get something good out of it.
Lack of full cost disclosure
Some companies tend to hold information about other fees like shipment and delivery until right before you make the purchase. There are some sites that say they offer ‘free delivery’ and lets you go on with your shopping. After you have made up your mind and have entered your banking or credit card details, they suddenly hit you with information like ‘to avail of free shipping, you have to purchase our membership card.’ The last line was not fully disclosed in the first place. In this scenario, the free shipment would mean nothing since you still have to shell out some money to avail of it. Be picky with the website that you make your purchase with. Second, there is no ‘free shipment’ whatsoever. One way or another you will have to pay for it even if they state that it is free. You can only trust an ecommerce business that lays its cards on the table from the start.
Risk of products lost or stolen
Losing or having your purchase stolen is a real risk that you have to take. This even happens to the most reliable online ecommerce platforms. The hard truth is that these sites have a higher chance of losing their products if a third party seller is involved in it. So how do you curb this possibility? Simply rely on the reliable companies. These big guns may not be 100 percent shielded from this problem. However, the risks of doing business with them are remarkably lower.
Maintain careful records of your banking and financial accounts
Fraud happens. More so in the digital world. It is important that you keep a tab on all the purchases that you make on the internet especially in a high market website like ecommerce pages. In this way, you will be able to figure out if you have fallen victim to identity theft.
All the things listed above are meant to help you minimize the risks involved in the purchases you’ve made online.
Author Bio: Julian Hooks the brains behind the Advertising Commissions digital marketing agency. Helping businesses grow their presence on the web is one of his many passions. Check out his Ultimate Guide to Local SEO or the Shopify Review Guide for eCommerce.
