Ecommerce Europe is committed to stimulating trust in the market by committing its members to a widely available non-profit European Trustmark for online commerce transactions, but the association calls upon European law makers for a more balanced approach in consumer- and contractual policies as well, ecommerce-europe.eu reports.
The ecommerce sector is booming as nearly all growth in retail comes from online. However, the full potential of the European ecommerce market has not yet been reached. Today, 65% of European internet users shop online, but only 16% of SMEs sell online - and less than half of those sell online across borders (7.5%).
Also, only 16% of consumers shop online from another EU country. The legal framework is one of the most difficult barriers to overcome for 46% of the companies that sell cross-border. Dealing with 28 different sets of rules for consumer and contract law turns out to be burdensome for online merchants. Moreover, the differences in regulation and levels of protection undermine consumer confidence in cross-border transactions.
“In the rapidly expanding e-commerce market, it is more important than ever that online traders are transparent about their obligations towards the consumer,” explains Marlene ten Ham, Secretary General of Ecommerce Europe. “The Ecommerce Europe Trustmark and its dedicated website give consumers peace of mind by allowing them to read in full what their rights are, and what commitments the online trader has made. This is essential for boosting trust in cross-border e-commerce.”, the source cites.
By clicking on the Trustmark label, the consumer is directed to the Code of Conduct which, among other requirements, obliges the trader to use fair and transparent contract terms and to be transparent about the offer and prices before the consumer enters the order process.
The Ecommerce Europe Trustmark is widely available to companies involved in online and cross-border selling of products and/or services. It is the only European Trustmark that is supported by non-profit associations cooperating closely with consumer groups all over Europe, that provides for dedicated European consumer complaints handling, and that is available at no cost for Ecommerce Europe member companies. Since its launch in September 2015, the Trustmark has been rolled out in 11 countries of the European Union, with plans to extend it to many more countries in 2016.
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