Consumer Trust Products

Do Consumers Really Care About Security Anymore?

[Propools]

I got a phone call yesterday from GeoTrust, whom we have our SSL cert with. It expires soon and was interested in selling me this NEW Consumer "in your eyeballs" products.

It's called "True BusinessID with EV", now what I think the slickest thing about this is that if you're using it and someone goes to your site, the URL bar will turn green and you'll have a green box right beside it which when you click on it, it will explain the security/authenticity of the site. Downside is this only works in IE 7.0 but since just over half of our users use IE 7.0, then I'm thinking it might not be a bad investment.

It will work with FF 2.0 but you have to have a plug-in for it to work. And no consumer is going to do that, I don't think.

In the end, do you fine people think it's worth spending the cash to get that action in the URL bar? Does the consumer even know it when it does it and/or do they even care or understand it.

Sites that use it are: ebay and payal. Check it out. It is pretty slick.

TTFN ;)

[bwnbwn]

It is also about 3 times more expensive as a regular secure socket I am with comodo and a regular one is 100.00 a year this is 350.00 a year. I am looking at it as well because I am up for renewal in another month.

Please let me know what you decide to do an if ya get it installed I would love to see what it looks like on a normal ecommerce site such as yours as I just got the eprivacy logo on my site installed so this is something I am very intrested in as in my sector it is something I feel makes a difference.

[Propools]

In researching it I've learned the following: Geotrust is owned by Verisign which is owned by PayPal which is owned by Ebay which explains why Ebay and PayPal use it, but I can't find any other sites that use it.

[bettye51]

I've seen the green bar on other sites...FedEx and Godaddy to name a couple, when you log into your account on their site.

[Propools]

bettye51,

Are you aware of any other sites that use this?

[ByronM]

I'm not interested in supporting the green bar myself. SSL is SSL and a top tier SSL cert already does business verification and there is no reason to create another level unless they're trying to say if you don't see a green bar you can't be trusted.

its one of those infinite cycle products where you try and sell it as a premium that has no advantage other than a particular vendor (ie) lock in. What happens when the same person uses another browser, will they fail to shop at your site because they don't see the green bar anymore?

[bwnbwn]

ByronM
I agree and disagree with you. In one of my sectors I see sites that advertise secure logo's with were secure 128 bit all that and when you go through the shopping cart nada nothing no lock. Better yet they want my name date of birth cvv number all on a unsecure php most likely hacked php cart that looks self done.

It has gotten to the point I am trying to add all I can to gain Trust as I got wacked about a year ago and with our loyal customers we have continued to survive as I claw my way out of the duplicate content nightmare.

So if it cost me another 20 a month to gain a couple clients they pay the extra expense of the Green Bar.

I do feel there are some sectors that need more visable signs of Trust than others. If this is one then that is good but as you said
I agree "top tier SSL cert already does business verification" but the average consumer doesn't know this.

[ByronM]

I don't think the green bar means more trust. I run a large ecommerce site and have the Thawte logo on the home page and in all browsers you see the lock get enabled and you see HTTPS in the browser window.

I should make a firefox mod that simply goes green in the bar if it detects a top tier SSL cert so the other companies can get real on pricing. 20.00/month is 240+ a year and i don't know of a top tier SSL cert company that offers the green bar for less than 1-2k.

[Propools]

In my op it seems like the green bar is visual marketing of security.?.?.? It would seem that as a consumer if I see the URL bar turn from White to Green that, I'm going to look up at it and see what's going on and what it all means.

This past weekend I saw several commercials of McGruff the "Crime Dog" on Comcast that said "Take a Bite out of "Cyber-Crime" [bytecrime.org]. These ads are run by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), which is an honorable enough task. It made me ask myself about the value of the green bar security.

Verisign touts it as their EV (Extended Validation SSL). This could be a couple of things. First, maybe Consumer's really do need to "Feel Secure" and second is Ebay/PayPal/Verisign/GeoTrust just trying to further extend into the transactional side of business.

Our business decision is this:
If having the "Green Bar" will bring a positive ROI, then we'll do it.

I wonder if this product is just so new that others haven't caught onto it yet? :o

[pageoneresults]

It would seem that as a consumer if I see the URL bar turn from White to Green that, I'm going to look up at it and see what's going on.

You may be a bit more experienced than the average consumer. I'd be concerned about making such an abrupt change with the user's browser. Of course "Green" is a positive color but changing something that abruptly in my browser may confuse me and I might think something negative is happening. I'm just thinking on the flip side here...

[Propools]

How true that may be pageoneresults. I was selfishly looking at it from our business side and how we can make more coinage. But from the consumer side too, I can see where that may "freak" some people out.

So, is more consumer education needed? ;)

[bwnbwn]

ByronM
comodo offers it for 350 a year top teir certified company info all the registered info needs to be submitted and verified.

[jsinger]

Just as this subject appeared here, I had a customer ask why she didn't notice any indication that shopping us was "secure." (which it is) She added that question in our comment box as she submitted her confidential info to us with an order! And THAT was about the only question we've gotten about security in a year.

Personally, anything that changes my browser's color would freak the hell out of me as a shopper. For a few seconds anyway. (I do know about this new security device but have only personally seen it in use once).

The green bar **might** add another few orders a year, but at the expense of a lot of questions early on.

[bwnbwn]

I filped to firefox to see and if you go to a secure page on firefox the browser bar turns yellow.

Now if this is their way of letting a consumer know the site uses a secure socket why would turning the browser bar green in windows scare away a consumer.

I feel if FireFox is doing it then the green bar is just another way to show secure to consumers that are getting more wary of this everyday in another operating system.

[jsinger]

secure page on firefox the browser bar turns yellow.

Good point. I don't use ff to shop so I forgot about it. About 11% of our shoppers use FF.

But won't IE soon follow suit with a color-changing bar at no extra cost? Difference between yellow and green is pretty trivial.

[bwnbwn]

jsinger
Difference between yellow and green is pretty trivial. I agree with you on this as well but it does make you look at the browser if there is a color change.

I just feel the extra 20 a month might be well worth it. The green bar is as well a tighter SS security.
Heck I am doing the eprivacy thing now it is 25 a month so might as well go hog wild and do the grenn bar too.

if it is a waste won't be the first nor the last time I wasted a couple hundred, but then again all it will take for me to recoup the money spent is a couple more orders a month.

[Propools]

From a business standpoint, what will the consumer do when they see their URL bar turn from the standard display to some color like green or yellow or maybe even rainbow? I wonder how educated the consumer is to know that the bar would be a function to show security or will it be something as mentioned earlier, that would freak out the consumer and cause them to click away.

One note is that Overstock's use of the greenbar doesn't come into play until they actually go to the check out process vs. other site's who switch colors from the get-go. ;)

[sniffer]

As far as I am concerned there in nothing negative about the green bar. It is either a positive or is ineffective.

[jecasc]

Most customers do not even now what SSL encryption means nor do they care if a page uses SSL encryption.

I have a SSL cert in my shopping cart but I have to admit that when shopping online I have never payd attention if the shop uses any encryption at all. What I do however everytime when I shop online is to check wether the shop does give his full contact information.

It is important that the customer gets an impression of trust and safety when he is on your website. However on a subconcious level. You have to create this impression by site design, good usability, easy access to all the information like shipping costs, payment options and by putting the contact information and your physical address in a place where he can easily find it. Prefarably with some pictures so he can be sure that you are a real company with real people. Add some testimonials of satisfied customers and he will know that others have bought at your website before and it is safe.

Never ever try to create trust by sticking labels in the customers face like: THIS SITE IS HACKER PROTECTED. or SECURED BY XY.

The customer is on your website which probably means he already decided he will shop online. What's the use of frightening him with green or yellow bars or "Hacker safe" logos. This will only bring the thought into his mind: "Oops. Perhaps I should reconsider shopping online, seems to be a dangerous way of buying."

Imagine you go into a shopping mall and there are two big guards at the entrance with a green sign: "This shop is secured by BULLY INC: This will ensure you won't get beaten up by other customers and that we do not rip you off." I guess I'd take to my heels and get the hell out of there.

[edited by: jecasc at 5:22 pm (utc) on Mar. 1, 2008]

[pageoneresults]

Imagine you go into a shopping mall and there are two big guards at the entrance with a green sign: "This shop is secured by BULLY INC: This will ensure you won't get beaten up by other customers and that we do not rip you off." I guess I'd take to my heels and get the hell out of there.

That's one of the better analogies I've seen used for this type of scenario. :)

[bwnbwn]

In the process of getting the business verified with the new EV certificate. This is a whole new ball of wax and I have to go through some more hoops even though I already have a SS certificate in place with the same company.

I have to send in Documented information from an accountant and or Lawyer. Actually I can't send it in it has to come from the Accountant or lawyers office.

Glad I started this process a month in advance as it will take another week to get the information to the Validation department.

I am aware the general population doesn't have a clue the difference in the certificates but I do and I am proud of my business and adding this is another way I can improve the site, even though no one knows I know and that makes it worth the time and expense as far as I am concerned.