As consumers adapt to the new reality of living amidst uncertainty for the longer term, one thing is clear – the acceleration of e-commerce adoption sees no signs of stopping.
Along with the current boom online comes the deluge of opportunistic bad actors and as more consumers move into the digital realm, many merchants are struggling with the very real risk of cyberattacks. However, fraud prevention tools add unnecessary bulk or friction, which leads shoppers to abandon the service or business altogether.
A prevailing challenge for businesses online is losing shoppers and revenue due to poor user experiences. In order to make sure those transactions are completed, businesses need to deliver seamless access experiences that appeal to today’s shoppers – those that are frictionless and secure at the same time.
Simplify the process with CIAM
Today’s consumers are busy with short attention spans, so the onus is on the merchants to make their lives easier and dramatically reduce the likelihood of shoppers abandoning their carts.
While the login functionality is only one cog in the wheel of the secure digital experience, it’s unavoidable, has a huge impact on CX and cybersecurity, and it is vital to get it right. Fortunately, the right customer identity and access management (CIAM) provider can offer an arsenal of solutions that will address customer experience and security in tandem.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) demands that users prove they are who they claim to be by providing an additional form of verification beyond the classic username-password combination. With customer friction becoming a bigger problem, there’s no reason to challenge every loyal customer to prove their identity every time they make a purchase. Instead, retailers need step-up or adaptive MFA, which requests additional credentials only in the event of suspicious or high-risk behaviour. For example, you may want to verify a customer’s identity if they log in with a new device or place an order above a certain value.
- Using social media logins is one way to avoid your customers’ needing to remember another email/password combo, in turn making your service easier and more appealing. A big plus is these social providers have some of the most world’s most sophisticated security teams working in your court, with all eyes on them from a compliance perspective.
- Unique SMS or email codes, also known as One Time Passwords (OTPs) is another way to eliminate the need for recall. OTPs are quick and highly effective for low-frequency yet important accounts. This is exactly the solution the aforementioned energy company could implement, creating a much better experience and heightening security at the same time.
- Biometrics such as fingerprint scanning and facial recognition, which many will be familiar with via their smartphones, are also on the rise and offer a frictionless and secure experience for the end-user.
The threats that retailers face online are constantly evolving, as are shopper behaviour and expectations. Sticking with a simple, legacy login solution is no longer an option, and Australian retailers must remember that protecting customers with state-of-the-art identity should become a necessity. By ensuring a CX-focused identity layer, retailers are poised to minimise abandonment rates, enrich and optimise their customer engagements.
About the Author:
Richard Marr is General Manager, APAC at Auth0, the identity platform for development teams. Richard has extensive experience with cloud-native, SaaS services, and business leadership in the APJ region. He has a proven track record of building high-performance teams to support organisations in building, running, and securing modern applications both on-premise and in the cloud.
