Good to know! Useful information about online shop functions

As already mentioned in our blog “Why do I as a retailer need an online shop?”, in times of pandemic it is definitely advisable to consider an online shop to open. This brings with it many advantages, especially the possibility of a greater market presence. Of course, this doesn't just affect retailers! The world is changing and digitalization continues to progress. In order to stay up-to-date, you have to deal with this topic sooner or later. Opening an online shop is just one step of many.

This step is easy once you have cleared up all doubts and decided on an online shop. With this blog entry we want to take away some of these doubts by introducing you to Shopify's online store features that address the biggest questions before opening one.

Safety first!

One of the big questions that can stop you from opening an online store is the question of security. After all, important information must be provided, such as bank details, which have no place in the wrong hands.

One thing that you can easily implement yourself and that we generally recommend for all matters that have to do with sensitive data is to generate different, untraceable passwords. Use a different password for each page, which consists of a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters and has nothing to do with your personal life.

To provide additional security for your account, online shop providers such as Shopify offer so-called two-factor authentication. This requires a second security question to ensure that no strangers access your account. There are different options for this second authentication step: It can be a personal question, the answer to which you have previously verified, or a one-time, time-limited code that is sent to your email after entering the normal password address or sent to your phone. You will then be asked to enter this code in a field provided. Biometric security codes, such as fingerprints, are also possible as a second authentication method if you have the technical means for this.

In addition, after a hack attack on another source, Shopify checks the stolen data for your access information for your online shop. If your data is found on these lists because you used the same password, access to your shop will be blocked immediately and you will be asked by email to change your access data in order to prevent a possible attack on your account.

In addition, if Shopify notices any unusual activity, your account will also be suspended. You will then be notified of these activities via email and asked whether it was you or not. If not, you will also be asked to change your access information.

If your account is blocked for any security reasons, you can simply contact customer service to unblock your account.

Your payment and customer data is protected with the same standard that banks use to secure your data! Your customers can see from the URL of your online shop that an SSL certificate is used and therefore know that your shop is secure.

If you are now asking yourself: “That’s all well and good, but how do I set it up?”, we can reassure you. Shopify provides step-by-step instructions for each of the authentication methods mentioned. We would also be happy to help you set up your account.

Payment methods

The aforementioned security measures ensure payment options of all kinds are secured. It is up to you which payment methods you would like to offer. The common payment methods are already integrated into “Shopify Payments”. If you would like to add your own payment methods, you can do this by activating known methods via Shopify or by creating individual methods yourself. This makes it possible to offer cash payment upon collection in store.

The payments are made by the merchant via one or more credit cards specified by you. As with normal trading, some payment methods incur costs for the merchant. With Shopify, these depend on the Shopify plan you choose.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us!

You may also find an article that answers your questions in our blog!