Hallmarks for online shops
A web shop seal of approval gives customers confidence to shop safely online. Having a recognized trustmark on your webshop makes doing business attractive. The likelihood of sales increases. Therefore, a seal of approval is essential for any webshop. Preferably a seal of approval that visitors immediately recognize, such as:
WebwinkelKeur
. This removes doubts, allowing customers to shop carefree.
Consumers’ Association
A seal of approval is not mandatory, but it is recommended. The number of fake web stores in the Netherlands is growing every day. These are web shops with exceptionally bad reputations and web shops managed from abroad that raise questions for De Consumentenbond. Dropshipping and affiliate web shops are other web store forms where consumers need to be vigilant. This is due to high susceptibility to fraud and poor customer service in handling returns and defective products.
Webshops without quality mark
Research by The Consumers’ Association shows that at least twenty percent of all Dutch webshops are unreliable. Labels are missing or feature labels without actually having the recognition of the label in question. Each hallmark has a hallmark number, which allows authenticity to be traced back to the hallmark in question. With a recognized seal of approval, you make a distinction. A quality mark is proof that online shops deal correctly with customers and protocols regarding returns and complaint handling.
Most important quality marks in the Netherlands
WebwinkelKeur
WebwinkelKeur is the best and most famous trustmark for webshops. The quality mark is also recognized in Europe by ‘The European e-Commerce Association’. As a result, customers throughout Europe are protected. In addition, WebwinkelKeur offers customer reviews.
Home Shopping Guarantee
Thuiswinkel Waarborg stands up for the interests of online retailers on a national and international level. They help their members with free legal advice, surveys, and by sharing knowledge through the platform they created.
Webshop Keurmerk
The Stichting Webshop Keurmerk is an e-commerce trade association since 2001 and a popular home shopping web mark for companies, which offer their products and services mainly through the Internet.
Benefits of labels
The purpose of a seal of approval is to encourage sales and brand confidence. A quality mark gives customers more certainty about aspects surrounding the right of return, complaint handling, warranty cases and the possibility of paying afterwards. By using a recognized seal of approval, online shops guarantee the following benefits:
- Web shops offer customers clarity on costs.
- Secure online payments.
- There is always the option to pay after the fact.
- Customers are given a minimum of 14 days’ cooling-off period.
- Protection in complaint mediation and privacy terms.
Cost of labels
For recognized and valued labels, payment is common. However, there are also labels that you can join for free. These kinds of labels do not add anything, because the conditions used are very limited and say little about reliability. In addition, they are labels that are not known to consumers. After all, you want a trustmark that gives your shop status and inspires trust in the customer, to stimulate webshop purchases. The costs of the well-known labels vary widely. A brief overview follows below:
- The Webwinkelkeur trustmark is available from €8.95 per month, valid for up to five webshops and includes a review system.
- At Stichting Webshop Keurmerk the costs are €195,- yearly. Again, there is a maximum of five webshops.
- The Thuiswinkel quality mark costs €390,- excl. €75 registration fee and annual membership fee (depending on turnover).
Applications and conditions
Do you want to apply for a recognized trustmark for your webshop in the Netherlands or Europe? On
WebwinkelKeur.nl
you can register a webshop. With this, the shop is inspected and you will receive a certificate upon approval. Listing of contact information, clear display of prices and information on complaints are strict requirements in an approval.
