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Archived news of: January 2010
2010-01-29
Organic website ranking is 'more trustworthy'
Ecommerce customers find Google organic search results more trustworthy than paid-for search listings, it has been claimed.
Ecommerce customers find Google organic search results more trustworthy than paid-for search listings, it has been claimed.
Achieving a high search engine ranking position could help to boost online payment processing system conversions on websites, if they are found organically, Zoombits.co.uk online marketing director Sam Tilston suggested.
He explained: "Users clicking on a natural or organic search listing will more likely trust the site and therefore be a higher quality lead."
Mr Tilston also underlined the importance of being listed in the rankings of search engine giant Google.
He added: "The Google brand is one of the strongest in the world and having a website listed in the natural search results associates that site with the Google brand."
Recent research by Marketing Sherpa indicated that around a quarter of leads from organic search engine rankings using search engine optimisation techniques are "high quantity, low quality", with 13 per cent "high quantity, high quality" and 17 per cent "low quantity, high quality".
read more 2010-01-29
Online fraudsters 'create fake iPad websites'
Online fraudsters are setting up websites posing as legitimate ecommerce businesses in an effort to exploit the furore surrounding the release of the iPad touch, consumers have been warned.
Online fraudsters are setting up websites posing as legitimate ecommerce businesses in an effort to exploit the furore surrounding the release of the iPad touch, consumers have been warned.
Security firms have warned techno-lovers to be wary of submitting their details to a website to purchase an iPad touch, as it could be a fake.
Underlining the importance of using reliable online payment processing systems, Symantec and Websense have both warned about the appearance of a number of potentially criminal websites to try to defraud users using credit and debit cards to pay online.
Commenting on the emergence of these threats, security expert at Symantec Candid Wuees said: "The excitement over the iPad has been building for months now, so it's only to be expected that its announcement would spark a huge spike in search traffic relating to certain terms."
Users could be particularly at risk in countries like the UK, where online billing solutions uptake has been lower than in other economies.
According to figures from the Payments Council, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands all boast higher online payment processing uptake than the UK.
read more 2010-01-28
Will Asda overcome Tesco online?
Asda will overtake Tesco.com online within the next six months, it has been claimed.
Asda will overtake Tesco.com online within the next six months, it has been claimed.
Figures collected by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk in July 2009 indicate that 41 per cent of online supermarket sales used Tesco.com's online payment processing platform, compared to just 27 per cent through Asda.
However, data collected this month indicates that Tesco is losing the lead to the Wal-Mart owned supermarket chain.
Asda now enjoys 31 per cent of the market, while Tesco is just a nose ahead with 36 per cent.
Commenting on the findings, MyVoucherCodes.co.uk managing director Mark Pearson said: "I predict that come June 2010, if consumer trends continue, Asda will be the dominant online supermarket.
"The digital battle lines are drawn; I don't expect Tesco to go down without a fight."
Online sales will become increasingly important to global retailers in the coming year, according to IMRG, which expects sales to continue to rise online this year.
read more 2010-01-28
3-D Secure online payment processing protocol 'unsound'
The online 3-D Secure online payment processing system adopted by many banks for their websites is encouraging risky consumer behaviour, according to new research.
The online 3-D Secure online payment processing system adopted by many banks for their websites is encouraging risky consumer behaviour, according to new research.
Although widely deployed, University of Cambridge researchers believe that the system is riddled with security problems that put users at risk.
Study authors claim that the system "ignores good design principles and has significant vulnerabilities".
They suggest that a more "robust authentication" system is adopted, perhaps overseen by regulatory measures to ensure that it meets economic requirements.
However, the researchers' criticism has been rejected by zdnet in an interview with Visa Europe, which has a system that makes use of the 3-D Protocol verification system.
The company told the website: "Visa does not wholly agree with the premise and conclusions set out in the new paper by Cambridge researchers."
read more 2010-01-27
Woolworths' online sales increase by 41 per cent
Woolworths' online sales increased by 41 per cent during the first half of the year, according to the company's latest financial results.
Woolworths' online sales increased by 41 per cent during the first half of the year, according to the company's latest financial results.
The company has had success with its new online ecommerce strategy, developed in relation to its other retail trading divisions, such as through its online payment processing systems.
Overall, the firm's sales were also improved, rising by six per cent excluding petrol sales.
Woolworths' chief executive officer and managing director Michael Luscombe said that the company was pleased with its half year sales total of $27.2 billion.
He said: "Consumers continue to put their trust in Woolworths' retail brands for value, range and service for all their everyday needs.
"Our business remains strong as we continue to deliver real sales growth above inflation in Australia and New Zealand."
Online sales are expected to increase significantly across the world this year, according to IMRG, following market growth of 14 per cent seen throughout 2009.
read more 2010-01-28
UK online billing solutions 'lag behind Europe'
British consumer use of online payment processing to pay bills is lower than other European countries, it has been claimed.
British consumer use of online payment processing to pay bills is lower than other European countries, it has been claimed.
Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands all boast higher instances of online payment processing than the UK, where an average of 44 per cent of people take advantage of online billing solutions.
Citing figures from the Payments Council, analysis firm Mapa points out that there is a 17 per cent gap between the UK and the Netherlands' data.
Germans appear to favour online billing solutions to any other method, with nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) taking advantage of the platform to pay their energy bills.
Mapas notes that this gap "is not one that can be ignored", suggesting that banks still have a long way to go to convince Brits that online billing solutions are the way forward.
Meanwhile, Britons that favour bill payments by cheque have a limited time to adjust to another means of paying their bills, with the Payment Council Board having last month agreed to end cheque clearing by October 31st 2018.
read more 2010-01-27
Tpad adopts new online payment processing platform
Tpad is set to launch a new online payment processing platform to enhance customer billing options.
Tpad is set to launch a new online payment processing platform to enhance customer billing options.
The telephony company is dedicated to providing superior customer care and high quality services and is set to enhance its payment options in Europe, UK and the US in order to meet customers' growing expectations for online billing solutions.
Commenting on the enhancement, brand director at Tpad Steven Johns said: "For individuals who have desired to take advantage of the savings that VoIP technology offers but preferred this method of payment over the use of a credit card online, now they have the best of both worlds."
It comes after the Dubai eGovernment announced that use of its online payment processing portal grew last year.
Throughout 2009, more than 8,000 transactions across the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Police and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority were carried out using online billing solutions.
read more 2010-01-26
Calls for agencies to implement online payments
Companies that accept credit cards online should not charge a "convenience" fee because they are counterintuitive.
Companies that accept credit cards online should not charge a "convenience" fee because they are counterintuitive.
This is according to a letter written by George Williams to hattiesburgamerican.com, who wants to see government agencies in the US beginning to promote bill paying online.
"The more online payments are used, valuable employee time will be freed from opening and sorting mail, and thus be able to provide better service to the public," he argued.
Mr Williams went on to say that online payment processing will eliminate the risk of posting errors, because fewer or no cheques will have to sent by mail.
A further advantage, his letter outlined, is that agencies receiving online payments will have faster access to their funds, with transactions usually clearing within a two-hour time period.
Cheques, on the other hand, can take three days to clear - once they have been taken to the bank and processed.
The Daily Mirror recently reported that 20 million people now regularly bank online in the UK, with many using the internet to access transfers, standing orders and direct debits.
read more 2010-01-27
Ecommerce success 'boosted by search strategy'
Ecommerce business success online is often determined by a company's search strategy, it has been claimed.
Ecommerce business success online is often determined by a company's search strategy, it has been claimed.
Having an effective search strategy that enables customers to easily access products and online payment processing options is becoming increasingly important to businesses, according to ecommerce services provider SLI Systems.
Earlier this week, the company launched its latest ecommerce podcast featuring director of search and market technologies Hadley Reynolds.
He explained that consumers are increasingly understanding that the world is becoming an online one.
Mr Reynolds added: "The quality of search varies so much from site to site. Some sites can drive a whole lot more business with search, versus sites that have added search as an afterthought.
"Visitors expect search to be fast and accurate, and help them find what they're looking for."
Smart phones are increasingly expected to be capable of supporting more complex web functions.
Editor of Mobile Gazette Conrad Longmore believes that innovation will be driven by the introduction of the new Symbian S60 and fourth generation iPhone.
read more 2010-01-26
Rise in online transaction fraud reported in US
Online transactions are being used as a platform to commit payments fraud against a number of companies, with 2009 seeing a rise in related incidents.
Online transactions are being used as a platform to commit payments fraud against a number of companies, with 2009 seeing a rise in related incidents.
This is according to cfo.com and comes after the Electronic Payments Association warned banks in the US last month about the rise in financial cybercrime.
Before that, the Internet Crime Complaint Center said that there had been an increase in wire transfer-related theft, which could encourage companies to implement more effective online billing solutions.
"The biggest difference from 18 months ago is our clients' awareness of risk in payment systems and their desire to have payments processes that enable them to manage risk," explained Cathy Bessant, Bank of America's head of global technology and operations, to the website.
It is believed that online fraud has cost small and medium-sized businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars, with companies now looking at more secure ways of accepting credit cards online.
Elsewhere, the BBC reported earlier this month that younger people are the most at-risk group when it comes to online fraud. 
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