Author: Business News

Increasing Consumer Security With Outsourced Merchant Services

Payment processing service

Many shoppers have moved to the internet. No physical store location can compete with the convenience, privacy, and speed of online shopping. Customers can price shop and take their time making shopping decisions, all in the comfort of their own homes. Many even shop in their pajamas! Some shop for wanted items online, such as clothing, shoes, and accessories. Others use internet shopping for necessities, such as toilet papers, food items, and toiletry items. It is a great time to be an online retailer. You can reap the benefits of the online shopper, all without having to pay for a physical storefront. However, there are other things that an online retailer needs to consider.

Competition.

Although it is a busy and profitable time to be in the internet retail business, that means there are a lot of online retailers fighting for the same business. An internet retailer that wants to be successful in the mix of hundreds of other similar companies needs to be extremely competitive. They need to ensure that their marketing is successful and that they are connecting with their customers in a personal and effective way. Also, providing customers with the best products and service can give an online business over other retailers who are not focusing on that.

Uniqueness.

With so many other businesses selling on the internet, it can be difficult to find a unique product or service to sell. The internet has made it easier than ever to price shop. In the past, customers would just purchase an item in front of them at the store, because price shopping required physically going to another store. Now, the customer can simply visit another webpage, and select the cheaper, similar item with minimal effort.

The similarity of products requires online retailers to find ways to encourage customer?s to purchase from them. They may offer bulk item incentives or reductions in shipping. They may send out coupon codes that can be used with online orders. Statista (2015) there are often incentives for buying items in bulk or buying expensive items online, therefore, shoppers often spend a lot when shopping online. The average U.S. shopper spends an average of $78 per order.

Consider security.

Although internet shopping can provided consumers with an extremely convenient and quick shopping model, it can provide security risks. The internet shopping process involves card not present transactions. This means that the consumer is required to input their credit information into a webpage, never physically using their credit card. If the information is hacked or breached, the consumer?s information is stolen. The business can be liable, which can be a huge problem for smaller online retailers.

Secondary merchant chargeback protection companies can provide many benefits to smaller online retailers. A merchant chargeback protection protects both the consumer and the business from a card not present chargeback. In 2014, there were $16.31 billion worldwide fraud losses from payment card fraud. A chargeback credit card can also prevent the business from losing funds for items that they sent to the consumer.

Gain trust with online customers.

Online customers expect a retailer to completely protect their card information. If their information is breached, they expect the business to provide merchant chargeback protection. However, chargeback protection is costly. In the USA, card fraud costs more than $8 billion annually. The credit card chargeback process often protects the consumer, which can be detrimental to the company.

Choosing an outsourced merchant chargeback protection company can also provide more trust in customers. Customers are more willing to use a checkout process that is branded by a secondary company that they recognize. They feel more protected and are more willing to provide their credit information electronically. The outsourced merchant chargeback protection offers benefits for both sides of the transaction.

The internet is an extremely convenient mode for shopping in today?s world. However, without the necessary safety precautions, it can be dangerous. An online retailer needs to ensure that they have taken all of the necessary safety measures to protect their customer?s information. This often means outsourcing the merchant process to protect both the consumer and the business.

3 Surprising Reasons For Failed Relationships

Spiritual life coach

You might be under the impression that if you and your partner are highly compatible and never argue that your relationship is destined to stay in tact, despite any issues that may arise. While significant issues like a lack of communication and trust often result in the ending of a relationship, there are also some reasons for failed relationships that may surprise you. Relationship coaching can often help couples to identify these potential pitfalls and work on them in order to improve together. But if you never realize that you could benefit from relationship help, you may not see the end is in sight before it occurs. Here are three surprising reasons that relationships may fail.

  1. Lack of conflict
    If you and your partner never argue, you may take this as a good sign. However, this is more often a sign that one or both parties may be sweeping issues under the rug and harboring resentment. Most healthy relationships involve arguments from time to time. Couples in these relationships will know how to communicate and deal with issues in a way that doesn’t damage the relationship. If you and your partner never fight about anything, chances are that you’ve constructed a facade that may suddenly fall apart. Oftentimes, these sorts of relationships will be very black and white: either everything is perfect, or it’s over. If you feel you and your partner have trouble communicating your issues in a healthy way, you may benefit from a relationship coach.
  2. Too compatible
    We tend to think of being compatible as a good thing — and it usually is. It’s important that you and your partner agree on the “big stuff.” But if you’re compatible in unhealthy ways, this can spell trouble for your relationship. While it’s great for partners to encourage and be supportive of each other, this does not apply to immature or indulgent tendencies. This can result in a co-dependent relationship that’s based on mutual insecurities or a toxic, enabling relationship between two self-destructive people. Although a personal life coach may help identify these problem areas in one individual’s life, a relationship coach may be able to help you as a couple or may advise you as to whether you should be together in the long term.

  3. Good chemistry
    Yes, chemistry and a satisfying physical relationship is important for maintaining a healthy relationship. However, your sex life may be masking significant issues within your relationship. Many couples believe that if they’re satisfied in that area, then the relationship is fine. However, physicality often becomes a lower priority in longer relationships, which may cause these issues to come to light later on. Sex also may be used as a bargaining chip to convince one partner to forget about unresolved problems. If your sex life is one of the only good things about your current relationship, you should seek help from a lifecoach or relationship expert to see if problems might be resolved or whether it’s healthier for you to end the partnership.

Note that agreement, compatibility, and physical chemistry can be markers of a perfectly healthy relationship. It’s only when these are used to hide other relationship issues or keep us in a stagnant place that they may be considered to be detrimental to a partnership. If you’re currently struggling in your relationship, seek out help from a relationship coach or couples’ therapist for insight.