Do you sell online? Your customer expects that along with the products they are looking for, the possibility to quickly and securely pay for their purchases will be provided. If you want to attract foreign buyers to your offer, the payment system in different currencies can be an essential advantage. When the shopper suddenly discovers that they are unable to pay for the ordered goods at the moment, they will probably feel comfortable if you offer a late payment option. All these features are consistent with the definition of Conotoxia Pay.
It is no exaggeration to say that trade from traditional stores is primarily shifted to the online network. The data on the increasing turnover of the e-commerce industry clearly confirm that e-commerce is rapidly gaining in popularity. "The European Ecommerce Report 2018" estimated that in just 12 months, customers of European online stores will buy goods worth more than 602 billion EUR in total. Such an amount may seem to be considerable, but it does not say much. It is worth mentioning that the year before, the total amount of purchases amounted to 534 billion EUR, while two years earlier, it was 480 billion EUR, and for example, in 2013 - 307 billion EUR. The increase is, therefore enormous.
Who is your client
According to last year's report of the Chamber of Electronic Economy, as many as 34% of Polish consumers surveyed admitted that they had bought something in an online store at least once in six months. 20% of respondents declare that they do online shopping quite regularly, i.e. at least five times in six months.
The same report shows that a Polish customer interested in online shopping is usually an inhabitant of one of the big cities. Anything more? Women choose e-shopping statistically much more often than men. Most e-commerce clients are more than 24 years old and less than 45 years old.
What is interesting is that Poles occupy a place slightly below the EU average in terms of online shopping. 58% of EU citizens, who use the internet, buy goods online at least once every three months. Meanwhile, this percentage in Poland amounts to 45%. How much is missing to the leader position?
As long as the UK remains a member of the European Union, it is the EU's leader in online shopping in the Eurostat survey. As many as 78% of UK citizens using the Internet declare that they decided to buy at least one product online within three months. The second place in the same ranking was taken by the Swiss - with 72% of Internet users who buy online at least once every three months. On the podium belonged ex aequo to the Dutch and the Luxembourgers. 69% of people in these countries do online shopping at least one purchase every three months.
If the classification had been reversed, Montenegro would have taken the lead. Among the Internet users of this beautifully located country, only 8% of the country's citizens are e-commerce customers at least once every three months. The situation of e-commerce is not much better in Macedonia - 10%, as well as in Bulgaria and Romania - 11%.
What's with the phenomenon?
Unlimited choice of goods, the possibility to do shopping without leaving home and fast delivery from even the furthest regions of the world - these factors make the e-commerce industry more and more popular. Online retailers and customers have their own holiday or even a few - depending on the part of the world.
The American tradition is also celebrated in Europe during the Cyber Monday. In the USA, it was a response to Black Friday that falls the next day after Thanksgiving Day, which is the fourth Thursday of November. After the feast of Thanksgiving on Black Friday, big sales are arranged by department stores, shopping centres and single stationary stores. On Cyber Monday, the owners of e-stores try to do the same. In China, on the other hand, shoppers look forward to 11 November every year, when on the so-called single day, gigantic shopping platforms attract with price discounts of up to 70%, advertising many weeks before that day. The number of real opportunities in all these super-promotions and the amount of baits for customers is an entirely different story. The sales on these days are many times higher than usual.
Online stores are becoming more and more popular not only because they surpass the stationary competition with their range of products but also with their prices. Of course, it is good to compare the price of a product in a nearby shopping centre and an e-store. Even if it appears that the prices are comparable, it is still possible to list a few features that for some customers will become unquestionable advantages of online shopping. For some people, it is unlimited hours of trade, for others a possibility to make purchases from an armchair in their own living room, without wasting time on travel, hunting for parking space, crowds, and queues. An additional benefit is a fact that e-shopping is usually delivered to our doorstep, unless we decide to collect the product, e.g. in a parcel machine.
What the seller must remember and what rights the customer has
Online shopping is generally no different from what has been important in traditional shops for centuries. Whoever can attract a customer gains profits. What is more, the customer has to be satisfied and happy with their purchases. This element can have an even greater role in the field of e-commerce, because it is easy for a dissatisfied buyer to share his or her experiences of a failed transaction. Such a negative feedback from the online forum will become a warning to all potential customers.
However, in order to standardise e-commerce rules - e.g. transaction time - EU regulations impose certain requirements on all online sellers. One of them requires the store to deliver the ordered goods within 30 days from the date of purchase. Exceptions are possible, provided that the buyer agrees to a longer waiting period. Otherwise, the customer may withdraw from the contract without any consequences, demanding a refund for the ordered goods.
Logically, online sellers are obliged to supply their customers with exactly the goods they have ordered. In the event of a mistake, the costs of replacement and re-shipment must be covered by the shops.
Another condition is the shipping costs. These must be clearly stated before the online transaction is concluded. Otherwise, the customer can withdraw from the purchase without any consequences.
E-commerce is based on the principle that any purchased item can be returned. Even if the seller has delivered the purchase at a specified price, at a given date and in a perfect quality, the customer can simply cancel their purchase and return the goods. What about return shipping costs? As a general rule, the customer has to pay for them, unless the seller indicates in the offer a free return option.
Payments in e-commerce
Online customers appreciate the vast selection of goods, favourable prices. They also pay close attention to the transparency or friendly design of store websites and the opinions of other customers. Payment methods for shopping are also very critical.
Internet users point out that they do not want to waste their time and effort on traditional bank transfers, which require filling in the forms. Three elements count: time, convenience and security. An additional bonus may be an option which most often is available under the term "pay later".
In many cases, e-commerce knows no borders between countries, unless it involves customs zones, i.e. the shipment of goods from outside the European Union. If you want to reach customers in other countries with your offer, you may be interested in a multi-currency payment method. Conotoxia Pay, a system provided by the web portal found at Conotoxia.com, is distinguished by such a feature. What should you know about it?
Let's start with security. The service is provided by Conotoxia Sp. z o.o., supervised by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority. It also meets international standards by being audited by renowned auditors.
Encrypted connections in accordance with IETF, PCI DSS recommendations, regular tests, protection of personal data in line with GDPR, strong customer authentication - all these elements guarantee peace of mind and security for both sellers and buyers.
With Conotoxia Pay you can offer your customers the possibility to pay for purchases in 26 currencies. Just sign up, create a free account and then integrate the store with the system available on the Conotoxia portal. You can use ready-made modules: OpenCart version 3.X, PrestaShop version 1.7, WooCommerce version 3.X or Wp e-commerce version 3.14 to easily and quickly integrate the store with the payment system Conotoxia Pay.
If your store uses other software, the integration will be simplified by all the documentation that enables you to automate the process of making payments and returns.
Conotoxia offers online sellers a convenient merchant panel and the previously mentioned option "Pay later". How does it work? The buyer places an order, chooses the method of Conotoxia Pay, and then finds out that they cannot or do not want to pay for the transaction at the moment. The convenience of delayed payments means that the occurrence of the shopping cart being abandoned, which is quite common in e-commerce, may not happen. If the transaction does not involve a currency exchange, the customer gains the privilege of a 48-hour delay in payment.