There are so many benefits to eCommerce: a new customer base, 24/7 shopping and the fact that your customers don’t even need to leave their house to get the products they love.

Despite all the benefits, retailers need to be aware of the potential for fraud. In 2012, the total U.S. online revenue losses reached $3.5 billion due to fraudulent activity. Small online retailers are especially at risk because they are less likely to have the proper protections in place.

You can help protect your business from fraud by making sure you choose the right eCommerce platform. pcAmerica uses an eCommerce solution powered by NitroSell to assist retail stores in capturing some of this growing marketshare. Internet orders are downloaded to Cash Register Express in near real time and fulfilled in-store.

pcAmerica encourages all of its clients, regardless of their choice for eCommerce interface, to ask for the credit card security code printed on the front or back of the card during checkout. Although it’s better to have as few clicks and steps necessary to complete checkout, this step can help weed out fraudulent activity. Having your system prompt a user to enter their 3 or 4 digit security code helps ensure that the user has the physical card in their hand and is not a stolen number.

It seems like a no-brainer, but make sure your site is secure. According to KISSmetrics, this means checking to see if all of the checkout URLs stay in “https” during checkout (the “s” stands for secure). Update your passwords on a regular basis and make sure they contain a mix of letters and numbers.

For more information about how you can make sure your eCommerce operation is protected, please call your pcAmerica sales representative at 1-800-722-6374.