Honesty 'the key to successful e-commerce'

3rd April 2008

Online retailers should be honest about the drawbacks of their products as well as the benefits, it has been advised.

Stoney de Geyter, blogger for Internet Search Engine Database, suggests that sites incorporate product comparison tools into their websites to help customers make purchase decisions.

"Be honest - if your product lacks what a competitor's has, document that appropriately," Mr de Geyter states.

According to the expert, the key to selling online is removing obstacles from the research-to-buy-cycle.

So customers should be offered multiple payment options to ensure a wide range of needs are met, he suggests.

And consumers who prefer to discuss online transactions over the telephone or pay through a call centre should be given the opportunity to do so, Mr de Geyter adds.

Customer reviews are claimed to boost consumer trust, with bad reviews giving sites more credibility than their blatant removal would.

This advice may be of interest to small businesses, who have recently been advised by the British Computer Society's Howard Gerlis to sustain interest in their websites after the initial launch period.