Ecommerce ID Verification and the Consumer Experience
The blend of security and user experience is complicated forcing Ecommerce ID Verification to quickly improve for a more streamlined consumer experience.
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According to PYMNTS.com in their October’s Digital Identity Tracker®,
“the pressure is on for digital retailers to offer seamless and secure purchasing experiences as consumers spend more time than ever shopping online. [A recent] survey of 7,000 North American and European consumers indicated that 92 percent expect digital retail experiences to be fast, frictionless and secure, and 73 percent believe account creation or online transactions should happen instantly.”
We’re all aware of the inherent risk to security when buying online; which is exactly why we’ve all noticed longer registration and checkout processes in terms of Ecommerce ID verification.
Most reputable platforms have already taken precautions against malware, but there is still a long way to go when it comes to ID verification. Think about it for a minute… you can literally buy anything online. All online purchases require the essential security to protect personal information and security gets more complex from their for sites that require age verification, 2-step account authentication and more. All of these protocols add a layer of complexity to the customer journey.
In this post we’re going to look at 5 essential Ecommerce ID verification tactics to ensure your customers have a more streamlined experience:
1. Make Verification Easy
There are numerous verification avenues across every eCommerce platform, but many of these involve a LOT of steps and protocols. This can make the process time-consuming and frustrating for consumers, making them think twice about shopping on your site.
Consider ID scanning as an option on your site. software like, Smart ID, Engine provide a comprehensive tool for automatic ID scanning with document authentification, data consistency checking, and face matching of over 1834 types of ID documents from 210 issues worldwide.
Once you authenticate the document and your consumers’ identity, future transactions can move forward smoothly without additional verification.
How fast is this process?
A US driver’s license scanning process in a video stream on a mobile phone takes ~ 250ms per frame, and the scanning of German ID cards takes ~ 150ms. If a human blink lasts 150-300 ms, this SDK provides instant ID scanning ability to mobile applications — that’s pretty fast.
2. Guarantee Customer Privacy
The average consumer will appreciate the necessity of ID verification, but they may not be thrilled at the prospect. Many individuals are worried about what businesses will do with this date once it is within their grasp.
This is why it’s important to verify identification in a way that makes your customers feel safe, secure, and respected. This feature is offered by identification scanning as well. The information is scanned and sent to you, but never saved on the company’s servers. Once the verification process is over, you won’t have access to those details. This function can go a long way in gaining consumer trust.
This information should be communicated clearly to the customers to ensure compliance.
3. Consider Advancing to Machine Identity
If you want to make the Ecommerce ID verification process simple, efficient, and functional, look into machine identity as well. You can also try to identify the devices and machines your consumers use to have an additional layer of safety. Another benefit is that it allows you to create a more cohesive and personalized experience for your consumers.
4. Utilize Customer Data as a Form of Verification
As your business grows and your consumers make purchases repeatedly, work on using this information to verify your consumers’ profiles. This should be done with large purchases in particular.
Compare bulk orders with previous orders and see if they match up. Is the billing information the same, and are the goods being sent to the same address? You need to take special care to verify this information with chargebacks. You will be surprised at how much fraud you can avoid by following these techniques.
5. A Biometric Approach
What is biometric security? Just think iphone.
“A biometric-based authentication solution can provide a secure alternative to using passwords or knowledge-based authentication questions to keep customers’ accounts and their data secure,” Philipp Pointner, chief product officer at Jumio, told PYMNTS. “If identity verification is performed at the initial account opening stage, or [during a] first-time purchase, along with a selfie that captures a 3D face map, every subsequent time the customer wants to log into their account or make a purchase, [the site should] capture a fresh 3D face map. That new face map [can] then [be] compared to the original one and their account is unlocked in seconds. Taking a simple selfie significantly reduces the friction for customers if they’re out and on the move, trying to make purchases from their smartphones.” ~ Source: PYMNTS.com
Summary
Ecommerce ID verification shouldn’t be a burden for your eCommerce site or consumers. Speed is vital when serving an ecommerce customer, and an automated ID scanning process is likely the best approach. You can now have a secure process in place that is simple for them to use.
