Customers are more likely to stick with a brand if they trust it. So, what are the factors that can increase your audience’s trust? Well! Being an owner of an ecommerce store you may want to know the importance of trust badges on your ecommerce store for higher conversion. But, along with trust badges, one more thing which affects the buying decision of customers is ‘SECURITY’.
Is it safe to shop online from a particular brand? Will my information remain safe with them? These are some common questions that most buyers like me think about before shopping with any company.
One of the ways your ecommerce website can address this is through Green-bar SSL. This bar assures buyers that this website is safe and can’t be hacked by anyone to steal customers’ information.
So, what exactly does this green bar mean? Let’s dive into it.
What is SSL?
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol that creates a secure link between a web browser and a web server. Through such links, the website data is encrypted. It implies if anyone tries to hack, interpret, or access the data, they will see a combination of numbers, characters, and letters, and this will make it difficult for them to fetch the information.
Now, let’s get to the SSL certificate.
It is a data file that you can install on your web server to make it more secure. Through an SSL certificate, you can activate security protocols to get a secure connection between a server and your website.
Usually, brands prefer SSL certificates when their website asks for the personal information of buyers, like email addresses or payment information. On most of the e-commerce portals, you can see this SSL bar, as it makes their site secure and creates a bond of trust with the customers.
How does SSL encryption work?
Below are some of the steps that happen when a browser tries to connect with an SSL-encrypted website.
- A browser will try to establish a connection with an SSL-secured website.
- Your web server will let the browser know about its SSL certificate.
- The browser will then check the trustworthiness of the certificate. If so, it will send a message to the web server.
- The web server will then send a digitally signed acknowledgment to the browser to start the encrypted session.
- Finally, the data that will be shared between the browser and the web server will be encrypted to avoid any unwanted hacking activities.
Why is SSL important for your e-commerce website?
Now, you know what SSL is. Let’s discuss some of its unmatched benefits:
#1 Gain customers’ trust
Trust works everywhere, especially when it is online shopping. Your buyers will always check the SSL certificate (the two horizontal lines on the URL) before sharing their sensitive bank details on your website. This certificate will ensure that their payment and other personal details are secured and can’t be hacked by unwanted people.
#2 SEO ranking
Companies want their websites to get better ranking on search engine pages. Google prefers websites that have HTTPS tags with SSL certificates. Although this may seem to be a small benefit, in the long run, it can improve customer reach.
#3 Password Protected
Many ecommerce companies want their buyers to build loyal customer base through exclusive accounts and memberships. This is possible for customers through password protected accounts to shop conveniently from the portal. Such password protected accounts create opportunities for hackers to steal your personal information. However, SSL certificates ensure security of all such details by making your information less vulnerable for hackers.
#4 Data Collection
Ecommerce portals not only collect financial details of the buyers, but also store personal information of the buyers through feedback forms and questionnaires to enhance their shopping experience. All such information is equally important and an SSL certificate ensures security of all your financial and personal information.
How SSL can increase website conversion
It isn’t easy to convince any buyer about the website’s safety until there is some proof to support your statement. With the increase in hackers and financial data theft, society is becoming much savvier. But ‘savvier’ is not always ‘savvy.’ Both facts and truth can be fuzzy, just like in politics. There is a difference between being secure and looking secure.
An SSL certificate will not only add visual additives to your website but also have a psychological effect on the buyers. Sites with SSL will not only be secured from the technical aspect but will also give people a more secure feeling when they see the SSL symbol in a browser.
Here, it is worth mentioning the example of 2 big e-commerce companies, Amazon and Flipkart.
Both these companies are doing well and have SSL certificates installed on their website for the data security of customers.
In the above website image you can see the symbol of installed SSL certificate. Also the second screenshot mentioned below reflects the message you can check by clicking on that symbol.
Similarly you can see the same symbol on the address bar of the Flipkart website along with the trust badge. All such factors mentioned on the checkout page increase the trust of the buyers and help them in decision making. (Check the below image).
Let’s check what online buyers want to say on the SSL security factor:
‘’The first thing I check on any website portal is the SSL certificate. I always remain concerned about my personal and financial card details and when it comes to choosing any ecommerce portal I never compromise on security.’’
Linda Jackson (one of the frequent shopper of Amazon)
One study has estimated that 61% of customers will never shop from the ecommerce platform, while 84% will abandon their purchase in the absence of an SSL certificate.
Here are some more statistics revealing the importance of SSL certificates for your ecommerce portals. Let’s have a look as statistics speak more than words.
Conclusion
An SSL certificate is not just a technical requirement but is a business requirement, too. It lets your customers know that they can shop with you without any fear.
So, if you want to increase the conversion rate of your business, then don’t give a reason for your buyer to pause before clicking on the ‘proceed to buy’ option.
Win their trust with an SSL certificate, as it is the safest way to convince them that your website is worthy of their trust.If you need help with building an ecommerce website, talk to our ecommerce web development experts India and make a great first impression to your buyers.
