Retail Excellence, Ireland’s largest retail representative body, is celebrating all online retailers who are putting customer online safety and trust first, with the use of the Retail Excellence eCommerce Trustmark on their websites.
The Ecommerce Europe Trustmark protects consumers when making a purchase through an online shop in another EU country. If you see the Ecommerce Europe Trustmark on the website of an online shop you are visiting, it means that the retailer has made a commitment to work in compliance with European and national legislation and the Ecommerce Europe Code of Conduct, thereby guaranteeing ethical standards in the digital marketplace and making sure you are safe when shopping online.
Shopping online is a growing trend in Ireland and across Europe with an expected €602 billion spend in 2018. In order to support Irish consumers wishing to tap into this ever-growing market, Retail Excellence, in conjunction with their partners Ecommerce Europe, launched the first Irish Ecommerce Trustmark in 2017. Some retailers have reported increases in sales by 26 per cent as a result of their website displaying the Mark.
David Campbell, eCommerce Manager with Retail Excellence stated: “As retail is becoming increasingly boundary-less, Irish online retailers are beginning to focus more on increasing their sales and focusing on markets outside of Ireland.
“The Trustmark is important to them in their endeavors as 65% of European consumers will not purchase goods unless a Trustmark is displayed on a website. With over €20 million being spent by Irish consumers online every day it is imperative that e-tailers demonstrate their website is a safe place to shop and the eCommerce Trustmark assures this.”
A retailer who signs up to the Irish Trustmark will be awarded the Ecommerce Europe Trustmark and will thus be mandated to deliver on more robust obligations to the consumer. Through Retail Excellence, the retailer will have access to information to keep their website up to date on legislation and benchmarking for best practice as well as an international complaints handling processes.
Trustmark awardees will be subject to audits throughout the year to ensure ongoing compliance. The net benefit for online retailers looking to trade in Europe will be a direct reduction in barriers to entry for cross-border trade.
