Survey Finds 81% of Consumers Don’t Trust Small Online Businesses

“Alessandro Hatami, managing director of PayPoint.net, says: “Small online businesses lack the resources of their larger competitors but have an even greater interest in ensuring their customers have the safest possible experience on their site.

“This situation has led to a haphazard approach to managing fraud – which is in stark contrast to what larger businesses are able to do.”

In addition, PayPoint found that among 1000 consumers, just 3 percent of online shoppers are likely to trust a small online business with their money, preferring to shop with larger online brands. A further 81 percent say they have doubt about the security credentials of small, unknown companies.”

I am sure most of this sounds familiar in these days of technology and the internet. If you own a business whether online or offline, we are sure you have asked yourself this question before, “Do my customers trust my business?” And if you haven’t asked yourself this question, then now is the time.

Two National Consumer Reports Surveys show that…

The #1 concern visitors have: Is my personal information Safe and Secure? (88% of Internet users surveyed, viewed this as “Very Important”)

The #2 concern visitors have: Can I Trust the site and the information on it? (81% of Internet users surveyed, viewed this as “Very Important”)

The #3 concern visitors have: Does the site have a good Privacy Policy? (76% of Internet users surveyed, viewed this as “Very Important”)

95% of those surveyed want access to a websites email address, street address, and phone number.

You can find these surveys at Consumerwebwatch.org

The Trust Guard Mission:

Here at Trust Guard it is our mission to not only help you answer this question but to take action on the question itself. It is not enough to simply think or worry about your websites security, it is time to do something about it.

If 81% of consumers do not trust online businesses then it is time we as business owners do something about it. It is time to give the consumer what they want, which is Trust and Confidence when ordering online.

Consumers around the world are tightening up these days with the global economic downturn. They also are smarter than ever when it comes to shopping online. Consumers are also becoming more aware and more familiar with third party trust seals and companies such as Truste, Control Scan, BBBOnline, McAfee Secure (formerly HackerSafe), and of course Trust Guard. With this being the case you need to ask yourself, “Do I provide a third party trust seal to show my visitors they can trust me?” If the answer is YES, then you are on the right track. If the answer is NO, then you need to reevaluate your business strategies.

Where’s the Value…

The next question you want to ask yourself is, “Where is the best value of security and third party verification seals?”

At Trust Guard we know from 100’s of tests that More Trust = More Conversions. With this in mind, you want to establish the highest level of trust that you can, by addressing the 3 major concerns your visitors have:

• SECURITY – Is your customers information safe?
  Do you use security technology like SSL to protect their financial and private information?
  Do you have PCI Scanning to protect your website from hackers and vulnerabilities?
• PRIVACY - Do you protect your customers privacy?
  Do you respect their information and will you keep it confidential?
  Is your Privacy Policy accurate and up to date?
• IDENTITY – Who is behind your website?
  Is your company address, phone number, and email displayed on your site?
  Has this information been verified by a 3rd party?

All of this can be accomplished by applying the Trust Guard Multi-Seal package that includes PCI Scanning which is our best value. You can find out more about all the packages at

>> http://www.trust-guard.com/trust-guard-seals-s/1.htm

Here is an example of what you get with this package:

Trust Guard is pleased to announce PCI Scanning Services for online business owners around the globe. We are proud to be the first company ever to offer both Daily and Quarterly PCI Scanning services, along with the famous website verification seals. The best part about Trust Guard’s PCI scanning services is that the prices will be half of its competitors such as McAfee Secure and Control Scan.

PCI Scanning Pricing

Daily PCI Scanning plus seals – $47/month or $497/year

Quarterly PCI Scanning plus seals – $297/year

(Note: You can also get PCI Scanning services and seals with the website verification seals for a massive discount Click Here to find out more!)

Trust Guard PCI Scanning Main Features and Benefits

• Daily or Quarterly scans protect your server against 30,000 vulnerabilities
• ASV certified PCI Scanning combined with Trust Guard’s Website Verification adds more credibility
• No software or programs to download or install
• Automated scanning with email notifications so you’re always up-to-date
• Professional PCI support available to help you with your compliance needs
• Daily or Quarterly trust seals to provide trust and confidence to your visitors

With the Trust Guard PCI Scanning services, everything is configured in your control panel. There is nothing for you to install or download. You simply enter the domain name(s) that you need scanned and our system will run automatically, scanning either daily or quarterly depending on the option you choose. You also have the ability to run manual scans whenever you like with just the click of a button. And, if you ever need help, we have seasoned PCI experts standing by to assist you. Whenever a vulnerability is detected, you will receive an email with an explanation of the issue and detailed instructions on how to resolve it.

Protect your server and your systems

• Scan your server, shopping cart, firewalls, routers, and applications for known exploits and vulnerabilities daily or quarterly, depending on your needs.
• Receive additional security validation with integrated 3rd party website verification.

Safe and easy-to-use

• Simply enter your domain name in your control panel, then press start and we do the rest. Your systems will be scanned regularly as needed.
• There are no programs or software to download.
• Your server is scanned during off-hours for minimum impact.

Advanced Member Control Panel

• Your member control panel includes a number of innovative tools and features to give you the best chance for increased conversion, including integrated split testing, multiple seal size and color options, additional seal types (ie. Privacy and Business Verification – depending on the plan you choose), access to our Professional Privacy Policy Creator (a $97 value), and multi-account management options.

Informative reports

• Receive an email report every time a scan is run so you’re always up to date on what is happening.
• Log into your member control panel for instant access to both detailed and executive reports on every scan ever performed on your server.

Up-to-date security

• We continually add new vulnerabilities to our system to ensure that your server is protected.
• Your server is tested against 30,000 known vulnerabilities.

PCI Scanning can be a very difficult service to understand and that is why Trust Guard has put together some user friendly and simple ways to understand what, why, how, and when. A great article by our CEO, Scott Brandley about these very questions you might have can be found at http://www.trust-guard.com/PCI-Scanning-s/65.htm.

Now is the time to start building trust and confidence with your online customers by becoming secure on a daily basis with Trust Guard PCI Scanning services!