MCA launches e-commerce trust marks

A new trust mark for local eCommerce sites – the 'eShop' trust-mark has been launched by the Malta Communications Authority in a bid to encourage more consumers to shop online.

The MCA said consumers wanted to make sure that they knew who they were trading with, that they would get the product or service they were promised and that there would be a fair form of redress if things went wrong.

Some 51 per cent of Maltese are today shopping online and an annual growth in local online spending is being registered. Anecdotal evidence also indicates an increase in the number of local eCommerce sites and entrepreneurs having an online presence could not afford to lag behind and had to work to be one step ahead of their competitors.

With a view to addressing the trust issue and increase confidence in online purchasing, the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) launched the trustmark which will be awarded to sites that are fully compliant with legal obligations and which adhere to a code of practice.

The code of practice has been specifically designed to ensure that compliant sites provide consumers with all the information they need to make a purchase and feel confident that they will get what they pay for and that their rights will be fully respected.

A second trust mark – the 'eInfo' trust-mark, is also available for sites that do not allow online purchase, but offer information regarding products or services that are available from brick and mortar outlets. This allows entrepreneurs who are taking the first steps in using this medium to start off on the right track.

The launch of the trust marks will be accompanied by an extensive media campaign spanning a number of months to ensure high visibility of the marks amongst Maltese consumers.

http://eshop.mca.org.mt