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Why is It Important to Be PCI Compliant?

Why is It Important to Be PCI Compliant?
Mohab Ecommerce 0

Why is It Important to Be PCI Compliant?

The e-commerce market continues to grow at an incredible pace across all industries.  More consumers now shop online, and online retail sales keep increasing every year. However, it is not all hunky dory in the online business landscape. One of the biggest concerns online businesses must grapple with is the increase in data breaches.  Now that payments happen online, there is a big risk of data loss without proper data protection mechanisms. The industry has adopted secure online payment systems, but there is still a need for regulation and close monitoring. This is where Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards come in to protect cardholder data. If you are an online business owner, there are various benefits of becoming PCI compliant.

This article examines the risks of insecure payment systems, PCI standards and the importance of PCI compliance. Keep reading.

PCI in Brief 

The advent of internet technology provided an ample opportunity for businesses to expand their reach. As more people went online, trendsetters in all industries moved their operations to this platform to tap into the new opportunities. The early online stores had to accept credit cards to offer a seamless online shopping experience, and this is where security problems started.

With no regulation on data security, data processing, and data storage, it was only a matter of time before credit card fraud started to hamper online shopping. At this point, providers of payment solutions came together to develop the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard or PCI DSS compliance standard.

PCI standards define data security requirements for businesses handling online payments. The bottom-line is to protect the online shopper by minimizing risk to cardholders’ data. Today, this is an industry regulatory requirement accepted worldwide. Businesses must undergo rigorous requirements, to become PCI compliant and it is an ongoing process.

Reasons for PCI Compliance

The process of PCI compliance is tough but when your company is compliant, there are multiple benefits you enjoy. These include:

  1. Reducing the Risk of a Data Breach

The last thing you want as an online business owner is for your customers to lose their data while transacting on your website. This can lead to devastating lawsuits, loss of brand trust and ultimate failure of your business.  Information flow online is fast and swift and within no time, your business will hemorrhage customers leading to a slump in sales. By complying with PCI standards, you can rest easy knowing your customers’ card data is safe and secure.

  1. Increase Brand Trust

The PCI badge on your website makes shoppers more comfortable to undertake transactions. It is a badge of honor for any business to attain and it takes a lot of investment in security standards on your website.  It is easy to build customer loyalty when you offer a secure shopping experience.

  1. Boost Sales Conversion and Revenues

When your customers feel secure shopping from your website, they will always come back. If there is no security breach on your e-commerce website, there is a higher chance of retaining existing customers while attracting new ones. All these factors boost sales conversion which in turn improves returns.

  1. Avoid Costly Fines

The issue of data fraud affects all businesses in the online ecosystem. If your business suffers a data breach, there is an immediate impact on all other businesses as customers will fear the same will happen elsewhere. For this reason, your business will suffer hefty fines from PCI in case of failure to comply with the standards. These hefty fines force businesses to observe best practices in data protection while at the same time implementing all guidelines provided by PCI.

  1. Build Your Company’s Image

Internet shoppers can always switch to another online store if they feel uneasy making payments on your website.  For this reason, you need to invest heavily in your image branding and one way of doing this is by becoming PCI compliant. Consumers now appreciate the importance of security when shopping online. If you have met the highest standards, they will comfortably shop from you and recommend you to their friends too.

When thinking about facilitating online payments on your e-commerce website, you should look for a payment solutions company that will boost your efforts to achieve PCI compliance. By becoming PCI compliant, you will easily sustain your business by averting fraud, increasing customer loyalty and building brand trust.

8 years ago
Tips to increase revenue and brand loyalty
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

Tips to increase revenue and brand loyalty

One of the most difficult aspects of managing a business is increasing revenue.  As a business owner, you have to grapple with increased competition in the backdrop of increasing operation costs. While most businesses focus on customer acquisition to boost revenues, research shows building brand loyalty can have an even greater impact. A recent report shows that 43% of customers spend more money on brands they are loyal to highlighting the importance of building brand loyalty. The same report shows that the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%, while the probability of selling to a new prospect is 5-10%. If you want to increase your revenue base, you have to start thinking about strategies that will build loyalty.

From integrating secure online payment systems, customer referral programs, and excellent customer service to responsiveness, there are many ways of building loyalty with an eye on increased revenue. This article explores some of these strategies in detail. Keep reading.

  1. Create a customer reward program

One of the best techniques to retain customers is through gifts and rewards. This is the shortcut to customer loyalty and today; it is possible to personalize such gifts for better impact. With the data collected from your systems, it is possible for instance to wish a customer a happy birthday and even send them a personalized card and a gift.

This gesture will not only help in retaining the customer, but also promote your business by way of word-of-mouth marketing. Your business revenues will increase through return purchases and from referrals by your satisfied customers.

  1. Prioritize customer service

Businesses today struggle to increase revenues due to high customer churn rates. One of the main reasons for customer defection is poor customer service. According to the American Express 2017 Customer Service Barometer, 33% of customer say that they would consider switching brands in case of poor customer service. The same report shows that more than half of Americans have scrapped a planned purchase due to poor customer service.

These numbers emphasize the importance of providing excellent customer service. You must be there for your customer at all times because this is the only way to ensure they complete a purchase and remain loyal to your brand. If you want to improve your revenue numbers, you should invest in the best customer service.

  1. Provide value

Your customers already know many other brands selling the same goods and services as you. As such, your main focus should not be on the products themselves but on the value they add to the customers’ lives. You need to distinguish your brand as one that provides value, not just through what you sell, but also through community participation among other things.

  1. Engage with your customers

In today’s wired world, your customers are everywhere and they want to interact with your brand on all platforms. It is no longer enough to build a website because your target customers are on social networks and this is where you should also be. Make sure you connect with your customers as this gives them a sense of belonging and makes them loyal to your brand.

Use available platforms to inform your customers of new trends in the industry, your company activities, and anything else that is relevant to your relationship with the customer. Your customers should feel a part of your business as this will keep them coming and they will also promote your brand. This is a smart way to increase revenue for your business.

  1. Offer conveniences

If you make life easier for your customers, they will keep coming back and this will improve your revenue base. For instance, if you accept payments online free, offer feedback on social media, do free deliveries among other things this will retain your customers and increase revenue.

There is no denying that the current business environment is tough but if you focus on customer retention, it is possible to stay ahead of the competition. These two-prong customer retention strategies will not only build customer loyalty but also increase revenues.

8 years ago
4 brand strategies to acquire and retain customers
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

4 brand strategies to acquire and retain customers

Growing a business in today’s competitive environment is not easy. While a globalized market provides a larger market base, it also presents a plethora of challenges, including global competition, higher costs of operations, complex business licensing among other issues. However, you can still gain a competitive edge in your industry through a clear-cut strategy for customer acquisition and retention. Most business owners focus primarily on customer acquisition while overlooking customer retention, which leads to poor performance. There are some unique brand strategies that can help you to acquire customers while at the same time reducing churn rates. This article explores some of these strategies. Read on.

  1. Providing flexible payment options

For your business to survive in this competitive environment, you must provide an excellent user experience. The way potential customers interact with your business from the beginning to the end determines whether they will shop from you or walk away. From the moment a customer lands on your online store to the moment they complete payment, the experience should be seamless.

It is advisable to partner with a payment solutions company to enable online payments for your customers. The payment gateway you use should allow for safe, flexible, and secure payments and this will win you, customers while building loyalty among existing ones.

  1. Be authentic and consistent

When starting a business, every entrepreneur has an objective and to achieve this; there is a need to provide a consistent user experience. To acquire customers, your brand must prove over time that it can provide exquisite services. Potential customers must feel the need to associate with your brand and you achieve this by not only providing outstanding products and services but by being authentic and consistent. Make sure you have an authentic voice and provide a seamless user experience always as this will help you acquire new customers and retain the existing ones.

  1. Provide value to your customers

Anyone can start a business, but the only enterprise that can survive is the one that offers value to the customer. Whatever your business idea, make sure it adds value to your potential customers. In a world where consumers are lost for choice, there is a need to distinguish yourself by creating an impact in the life of your customers. Don’t push your products or services in the face of potential customers, but instead, show how these can impact positively on their lives. This is a branding strategy that not only attracts new customers but also helps retain existing ones.

  1. Incentivize customer referrals

As your business grows, you need to boost loyalty by creating a loyalty program. This is a great customer retention strategy. However, you can also use this as a branding strategy to acquire new customers by incentivizing customers for their referrals. Customers love rewards and they will spread the good word about your brand by word of mouth. This is a creative way of making the most out of your loyalty program. You will not only boost customer retention through this strategy, but you will also interest existing customers to stick around longer.

When you take payments online, incentivize customers for their referrals, provide a consistent user experience, and add value to your customer’s life, you will easily acquire and retain your customers. These are just a few of the branding strategies which help you to acquire and retain customers at the same time. These two-prong strategies will not only promote brand loyalty, but also increase sales conversion, enhance ROI, improve customer satisfaction rating, and much more. It is important to review and evaluate these strategies constantly to ensure they meet the set objectives.

8 years ago
6 ways your billing system can improve customer retention
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

6 ways your billing system can improve customer retention

As a business owner, you need to appreciate the importance of customer retention. A solid customer retention strategy helps save money on marketing, boosts repeat sales, accords your business free word of mouth advertising, reduces customer churn rate, builds a loyal customer base and helps collect invaluable feedback from your customers.  A study by Reichheld of Bain & Company published on the Harvard Business Review says acquiring one customer is 5-25% more expensive than retaining an existing one. The same study shows a 5% increase in customer retention rates boosts profits by 25% to 95%. There’s no overemphasizing the importance of customer retention in today’s overly competitive business landscape.

One of the most effective strategies for online businesses to build loyalty among the existing customers is to take payments online. If you have been wondering how you can improve your online business fortunes, this article highlights the importance of a billing system in customer retention. Read on.

  1. Personalize the customer’s experience

One of the most conspicuous changes in business marketing is increasing focus on personalization. The modern day consumer has become accustomed to customized experiences everywhere they go to including Facebook, online shopping sites and utility service providers.

If you have a billing system, make sure you offer a tailored experience to retain your customers. Provide a single customer account interface and provide real-time processing. The customer needs to own the billing process and you must ensure this by using a payment gateway which you can customize.

  1. Reduce involuntary churn

The modern shopper has an infamous short attention span and they want instant gratification. While most consumers make conscious decisions to leave an online store, others walk away due to weak technology. This is involuntary churn and you must avoid it in your billing system. Make sure your billing system offers automatic retry, account updater services and multiple payment options in case the primary one fails. The rule of thumb is never to allow a problematic payment get in the way of customer relationship.

  1. Use a self-Service portal to provide a better user experience

The best billing system comes with a one-stop-shop portal where customers can complete all transactions. Most of your customers today have a lot of tech know-how and they want to stay in control. A self-service portal reduces waiting times and poor satisfaction levels caused by your delayed customer resolution to issues.

  1. Provide flexible payment options

The modern shopper wants a variety of choices in everything and when it comes to online payments, your billing system must offer convenience. It is no wonder then that a recent YouGov survey published on the Retail Technology Review says 50% of shoppers cancel a purchase if their preferred payment method is unavailable on a site. Simply put, your billing system must accommodate multiple payments to avoid customer churn.

  1. Improve system efficiency

In the online business ecosystem, you need systems operating like clockwork. If you accept payments online, your billing system should offer a seamless experience. The system should provide crucial information instantly to both the customer and your customer service team. This, in turn, leads to higher customer ratings and reduced customer defections.

  1. Leverage billing data for better service delivery

Data is one of the most crucial assets that any business can invest in today. Now that you have a self-service portal on your billing system, you can collect invaluable data which will help create memorable customer experiences. You can monitor customers’ preferences, offer custom content on email marketing, contact a specific customer to follow up on any changes in their service portal and so much more.

There are many other ways your billing system can improve customer retention levels for your business. It is a seamless platform to build an engaging relationship with your customers, improve the user experience, provide a personalized experience, and offer payment convenience. With an efficient payment system on your online store, you are already on the right path in your customer retention journey.

8 years ago
K-Net Payment Gateway: Kuwait’s Leading Online Transaction Service
Mohab Partners & Partnerships 0

K-Net Payment Gateway: Kuwait’s Leading Online Transaction Service

Are you a merchant in Kuwait looking for a secure and efficient payment gateway to accept online payments? The solution is K-Net payment system, suitable for online retail businesses, operating in Kuwait. It is also the most popular gateway, with 71% people using K-Net as the APM. This payment system has also opened up a wide world of opportunities for online merchants, as you can now trade with more potential customers and get paid easily. Read on to learn more about K-Net electronic payment solution.

What is K-Net Payment Gateway?

The Shared Electronic Banking Services Company, better known as K-Net, came into existence in 1992. The company is jointly owned by 11 of Kuwait’s national banks. It began its operations in 1994 when The Kuwaiti Network – financial switch of Kuwait – was formed to facilitate hassle-free transactions.

K-Net payment gateway was introduced in 2004 as an online payment solution for private and public institutions. The payment gateway allows merchants to collect payments in exchange for trading products and services. The transactions happen over the internet in real-time. Currently, K-Net payment gateway processes only debit card payments.

How Does the K-Net Payment Gateway Function?

K-Net is a joint venture of the national banks of Kuwait. Apart from this, K-Net is associated with member banks that provide K-Net payment gateway services to their customers. As of now, K-Net accepts local debit cards issued by the member banks. To become a member bank, a bank has to undergo the certification process. Once the process is complete, a member bank has the rights to process payments initiated via K-Net payment gateway.

The payment gateway is developed for collecting online payments by using debit cards. The process is initiated and accomplished in a secure environment, maintained using Security Socket Layer (SSL) protocol. The payment solution integrates with the websites developed using web technologies like ASP, PHP, ASP.Net, and others.

What about the Security Aspects of K-Net Payment Gateway?

The transactions happening over K-Net payment gateway are secured with SSL protocol. The encrypted mechanism prevents any data breach and foils any hacking attempts. Moreover, in 2017, K-Net signed a deal with Gemalto, a global pioneer in digital security.

Gemalto is responsible for authenticating debit card transactions by generating and sending SMS one-time passwords (OTPs) to the users. This prevents any fraudulent attempts during the transaction process.

How to Apply for and Integrate K-Net Payment Gateway?

If you want to install K-Net payment gateway on your website, you need to fulfill the following criteria:

  • Obtain a business license to operate online retailing of products and services
  • Open a business account with a member bank
  • Secure your website with an SSL certificate
  • Sign a contract with the member bank to get a nomination
  • After getting the nomination, K-Net will provide plugins and necessary documentation for installing the payment gateway

You should note that transaction charges may vary from bank to bank. Further, K-Net payment gateway is solely meant for online debit card transactions. For credit card transactions, you should consult the bank.

Install K-Net Payment Gateway Now

For a retail business owner planning to venture into e-commerce or online trading of services, installing K-Net payment gateway is the most feasible option, as it ensures seamless, secure, and low-cost transactions. You will be able to attract more customers who are tech-savvy and use their mobiles for online shopping, as well.

8 years ago
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