You have permission to publish this article free of charge either electronically or in print, as long as
bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.One of biggest fears of online consumers is that they will be taken advantage of. After all, they don’t know you and they don’t know if you run a reputable business. Hesitance to buy is a natural feeling. But, if you want to increase sales at your Web site try providing a little consumer protection information.
Internet scams are on rise. Unfortunately, there are a lot of uneducated consumers that get scammed who don’t even know that there is consumer protection information available or where to find it. These scams drastically hurt every upstanding online businessperson. How? Think about it. Each time a first time Internet consumer gets taken advantage of they are finished buying anything online. That means, because of scam artists – you and I lose out, too!
The only way to stop scams and protect our customers and ourselves is to get actively involved. You and I must help make Internet a safer place to do business. By doing so you will increase your own consumer confidence and increase your sales.
How do we do this? One simple step can start ball rolling. As an ethical, online business owner, you can help consumer get educated on how to buy safely online, how to look at a Web site and tell if it is legit or a scam, and how to report unethical sites in order to put them out of business. In addition, you can provide consumer with information he/she needs to recover losses if they find themselves being taken advantage of.
Sound like a lot of extra work for you? Not really. If you don’t think you would have room on your site to post such information, simply place a link to a consumer advocacy site where your visitors can easily find it.
