Some information about BuySAFE, Our Consumer Confidence Solution

Many site visitors have commented on the presence of the buySAFE logo found in the lower right hand corner of our website. Moving beyond its origins on eBay, the buySAFE bonding service is now helping a broad range of e-retailers build greater confidence with the visitors to their web sites, especially sites like Carolina Rustica

Sales, free shipping and product recommendations don’t always do the trick when it comes to turning online shoppers into customers—security and confidence are also critically important, according to Jeff Grass, president and CEO of buySAFE, Inc.

The Arlington, Va.-based company provides a comprehensive consumer confidence solution that online retailers use to increase their web site conversion rates, sales and overall profitability. The buySAFE service provides an explicit third-party endorsement of a retailer’s reliability, stability and good performance via a buySAFE Seal. And it gives shoppers the option to purchase a bond that provides peace of mind over the three things they care about the most—that their personal information is safe, that they will have a good experience and get what they paid for and that they are getting the best deal.

Specifically, the bond provides a buyer identity theft protection, a full guarantee of their purchase up to $25,000 and a 30-day lowest-price guarantee. Online retailers like Carolina Rustica display the blue-and-gold buySAFE Seal on their sites. The buySAFE Seal includes a link to a verification page that includes merchant details, and the seal remains in view as consumers navigate through the pages of a site.

Via the buySAFE Seal, retail sites also display the brands of well-known insurance companies that underwrite the buySAFE guarantee, including Liberty Mutual Group, The Travelers Co. and Ace. The endorsements of these trusted companies also build confidence in the merchant. Displaying trust seals coupled with a broad third-party guarantee is a tactic that makes consumers feel more secure about their purchases and gives a competitive edge to merchants. While effective for merchants of all sizes, it's particularly helpful for e-retailers that are not household names and thus have yet to build confidence with a large numbers of shoppers.

"Not everyone who shops online feels completely safe and secure," Grass says. "When consumers perceive risk, they either avoid buying online, they go to a different merchant or they reduce the price they are willing to pay." In fact, the rise of comparison shopping sites makes that jump even easier. "If I'm a merchant with the same product at the same price as other retailers, but consumers don’t feel as confident buying from me, I either lose sales or I am forced to discount my price to get the consumer to buy—and that cuts right into my profit margins."