A flourishing ecommerce business doesn’t simply run on ideas and dependable infrastructure. Only after your online business takes off you do realise the legal, financial and managerial aspects. Whether your work involves
web design in Adelaide or an art gallery in Perth, an ecommerce business needs to gain the trust of their customers and offer quality products/services. Here’s a basic guideline emphasising some practices that Australian ecommerce businesses should follow:
Fundamental Business Practices
Fair trading legislation has set some basic principles for Australian businesses to follow. You may be familiar with them but let’s take a look at some:
1. You must never deceive or mislead your customers and no misrepresentation practices should be followed
2. The payment processor should not cause any difficulty when customers receive goods/services they purchased
3. You must provide accurate, trustworthy information (with proper representation) on your website regarding all the products or services
Advertising Rules
A few advertising guidelines for consumer friendly ads include:
1. Keeping your ads discernibly away from the rest of your content
2. No false claims about your products should be made
3. You should be able to back up a claim or piece of information you provided
Not adhering to these only leads to lawsuits and brand defamation
When Marketing via Email
The Spam Act 2003 clearly provides information and instructions on how emails will be classified as either commercial or spam emails. Some basic requirements of this Act include:
1. Unsolicited emails will not be entertained
2. Company name and identity must be mentioned
3. Inclusion of a unsubscribe option is a MUST
Contact With Minors
Minors are kids below the age of 16. You might have minors visiting your website and if you especially target them, then necessary precautions need to be taken.
You must verify your customers’ age before initiation of a contract or business transaction. If they turn out to be minors, take necessary steps to request the consent of their parent or guardian.
Mandatory Information
You are required to make the following information easily accessible to all your consumers:
1. Business name, address, contact information and registration (ABN or ACN) info
2. Contract terms concerning a purchase
3. Price of products and all related costs
4. Before finalisation of any transaction, a detailed review of total cost
5. After payment, copy of the receipt
6. Terms and conditions of any transaction
Make sure you look up and follow these (among others) information accessibility rules.
Consumer Privacy
Protection of your customers information should be at the top of your priority list. They have the right to access info on how their personal data is being used. According to the Privacy Act of 1988:
1. You must inform consumers if their personal data is being collected by the website
2. Your customers have the right to know all the information you have obtained about them
3. Consumers also have the right to replace or update any previously collected information you may have of them
4. There are limitations to the use of personal information gathered by your website
Sticking to these rules will make your website more trustworthy and dependable.
These practices will not only offer you a solid foundation but will also help make your company reliable and easy to deal with. This is just another stepping stone towards a successful and respectable online megastore.