In 1999 it took newcomers to the Internet on average more than twelve months before they made a purchase on the Internet. In 2001 it was four months - and adding products to an online shopping cart to buy it on the Internet is for many just part and parcel of being online.

This clearly indicates security concerns about buying online have declined. But they will never completely disappear.

This means you must take care of these concerns, so you can turn all visitors to your Internet shop into customers.

The most basic way is to provide all your contact details on your website. If possible allow people to call you on the phone. Often just being able to talk to a real person helps overcome concerns.

If you have a real brick and mortar shop, list the address on your web site. You will find that people concerned about security check you out on the Internet and buy from you in your real shop. In these cases your Internet shop can work like a high powered advertisement for you.

And of course you should accept orders in your online shop in a secure environment, in which all orders get encrypted while being transferred over the Net.

The two major browsers Internet Explorer and FireFox support a special encryption method. It ensures nobody can read an order, while it is being sent via the Internet. This encryption method is called SSL.

Because of the high security SSL offers, it is widely used in Internet shops to secure orders.

An e-Commerce solution such as ShopFactory for example comes with free SSL support included. Because SSL is widely known and accepted, you should always use it when accepting orders online, to make customers feel more comfortable.

Also tell them right on your home page that your shop is secure. The more you inform them about security, the better they will feel about buying in your shop.

Or you could use a real-time payment service provider such as GlobeCharge to take care of the transactions for you. While this comes at a cost, it means you have a reputable 3rd party taking care of security issues - which makes customers feel even more comfortable when they add products to their shopping carts.