The advent of the internet has generated many new business opportunities for enterprises that have taken the step into online commerce. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics e-commerce more than doubled last year to $24.3 billion for all businesses in Australia.

However, there are many security risks for the internet consumer and for any e-commerce venture to be successful the fears of these security conscious consumers must be allayed. The vast majority of consumers on the internet expect security to be an integral part of any online service they use.

The only time internet consumers will even consider buying your products or services online is when they are satisfied their personal details are secure and kept confidential. It is here that a visible privacy policy informing users of your site how their personal information will be handled including where it will be stored, who will have access to it, what it will be used for, and more can allay much of the trepidation online customers feel when making an online transaction.

A recent article on Internet Day revealed that 64% of online orders are abandoned at some point before being processed. This means over half of users decide they want to make a purchase, proceed to the ordering page, provide all the relevant details and when presented with the dreaded ‘submit’ button fail to complete the purchase.

One way to convey to your customers that you take the issue of security seriously as they make their way through the ordering process towards the final submission mentioned above is by visibly securing your site with SSL security technologies.