Guardian eCommerce - Secret Shopper Program (SSP)
As you may
already know, the primary function of the Guardian eCommerce Safe Site Approval And
Internet Privacy Seal Program is to help online consumers identify trustworthy sites on the Web. However, in
our ongoing efforts to build a safe Internet through online safety awareness, we initiated the world's FIRST
online Secret Shopper program. Defined, a Secret Shopper is a person hired by a retailer, or
even an outside third
party, to evaluate a retail store's employees and/or its retail operations by posing as a
shopper. The Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper Program (or 'SSP') is very similar to this concept
already used for years in the retail industry. However, the Secret Shopper Program has been created designed
for those operating any kind of e-commerce Web site.
An E-Commerce Web Site And A Safe Internet
Our
successful Secret Shopper Program consists of a designated Guardian eCommerce secret
shopper randomly visiting approved member Web sites, and sometimes, non-member Web sites. Acting as 'real life'
online customers, our secret shopper will execute online transactions and test Web sites for purchase functionality,
online safety, and overall consumer protection. An e-commerce Web site that
passes our Secret Shopper Program Web site review will not only be included in the Guardian eCommerce Safe Site
Web Directory, but will also be issued a special SSP Safe Site seal of approval. Our SSP Safe Site seal
helps online consumers function within the desired boundaries of a safe Internet which identifies not only a safe
e-commerce Web site, but one that has successfully passed the Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper Program Web
site review.
Increase Online Sales And Online Safety Awareness
The Guardian eCommerce
Secret Shopper Program is a complimentary feature of our Safe Site Approval And Internet Privacy Seal Program which
acts not only as a means for building a safe Internet through online safety awareness, but also to help a
safe e-commerce Web site improve user-friendliness
and increase online sales. Our
goal will always be to help Guardian eCommerce member Web sites build trustworthy relationships with
their online customers, especially those operating an e-commerce Web site.
Secret Shopper Program - Web Site Review
Once the
Guardian eCommerce secret shopper visits and completes an Secret Shopper Program Web site review, results are
examined. An e-commerce Web site will be notified if it successfully passes the Guardian eCommerce Secret
Shopper Program Web site review. Furthermore, Guardian eCommerce will proudly display an SSP Safe Site
at GuardianeCommerce.net. An
e-commerce Web site successfully passing our Guardian eCommerce SSP Web site review will also have the opportunity
to display an optional SSP Safe Site Seal in their Web site. This seal will identify an e-commerce Web
site as one that has been visited and approved by the administrators of the Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper
Program. Take note, for many Guardian eCommerce member sites, this seal may be in addition to the Safe
Site Approval And Internet Privacy Seal Program approval seal logo or trustmark they might already
display. Both Guardian eCommerce site approval seals are recognized and
help increase online sales, while
boosting consumer confidence in the participating e-commerce Web site.
Secret Shopper Program - Unsuccessful Web Site Review
Now, there will be some
Web sites that may not successfully pass the Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper Program Web site review. In such
cases, the e-commerce Web site will be notified by Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper Program administrators of
the particular online shopping experience(s) or problems encountered. This does NOT affect the Safe Site
Approval And Internet Privacy Seal Program status of the Web site in any way. Absolutely not! Again,
the Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper Program is a complimentary feature of the Guardian eCommerce Safe Site Approval
And Internet Privacy Seal Program, and its sole intention is to act as an
invaluable tool for an e-commerce Web site approved by Guardian eCommerce. We
will simply advise these Web sites if, when, and where improvements may be needed. In most
cases, such recommendations only benefit an e-commerce Web site, in the end, and are usually
very welcomed by Web site owners.
Typical Guardian eCommerce SSP Web Site Review Result
For
instance, one of our secret shoppers visited an e-commerce Web site, a small family business, and a participant in
the Guardian eCommerce Safe Site Approval and Internet Privacy Seal Program. This site already had its usual
online safety and consumer protection measures in place. But then a purchase was attempted, as part of the
Secret Shopper Program Web site review, and during the payment process... an annoying error page appeared
repeatedly. How trivial. The sale could not be completed. Potential lost
sales? Maybe. But 80% of the
time, these Web sites are usually unaware of such a random thing.
In this case, the Web site operator was notified and needless
to mention, our Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper Program was repeatedly thanked for forwarding this critical piece
of information. The problem had everything to do with the Web site's problematic
server. Ultimately, the Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper Program and Web site review prompted this one
Web site owner to make changes for the better, which corrected the problem, which in turn prompted us to issue
an SSP Safe Site Seal for that Web site! About a month later, the very same Web site operator
reported back stating that our SSP helped them increase
online sales. Is it any wonder? Surely, the
Guardian eCommerce SSP can only benefit an e-commerce Web site.
E-Commerce Web Site Benefits Of The Secret Shopper Program
The goal of the
Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper Program is to not only to build a safe Internet by increasing awareness for online
safety and consumer protection, but to help your e-commerce Web
site increase online sales by improving site functionality
and providing an error-free e-commerce Web site environment. Briefly, our Secret Shopper Program Web site
review will consist of page code checks, purchase function checks, browser-compatibility checks, site load-time
analysis, other general error checks, and the analysis of online safety utilization. Essentially, the
Guardian eCommerce Secret Shopper Program will help your e-commerce Web site prevent lost sales! The
Guardian eCommerce SSP works and it also helps consumers engage in safe online shopping, especially with an
e-commerce Web site that has successfully passed the SSP Web site review! Call it consumer piece of
mind. Yes, Guardian eCommerce will always be about
consumer protection and consumer online safety, but at the same time...we will always be about helping your
e-commerce Web
site increase online sales too!
Secret Shopper Program Web Site Review - For Member Web Sites
Be
advised, as an approved member Web site participating in the Safe Site Approval And Internet Privacy
Seal Program, your e-commerce Web site will be automatically and randomly visited several times by one of the
Guardian eCommerce secret shoppers, usually starting within three months from site registration. However, if you would
like your e-commerce Web site to be reviewed much sooner, (within the next two weeks), complete the request form
below. If you have any questions, please feel free
to contact Guardian eCommerce.
Secret Shopper Program Web Site Review - For Non-Member Web Sites
If your e-commerce Web site is not a current
active participant in the Guardian eCommerce Safe Site Approval And Internet Privacy Seal Program, complete the
special SSP Web Site Review request form below. One of the Guardian eCommerce SSP administrators
will be in touch with you soon, (usually within 3-5 business days). Be advised, for non-member Web sites, there is
a nominal charge ($7.79 USD, non-refundable) for the Guardian eCommerce SSP Web Site Review, SSP report, Safe
Site Directory inclusion, and subsequent SSP Safe Site Seal. As a side-note, it is far more
cost-effective to become
a registered Guardian eCommerce member Web site and receive
the FULL benefits of
the Safe Site Approval And Internet Privacy Seal Program site membership, (one being
automatic SSP inclusion).
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