You might still be wondering why a Terms and Conditions agreement is so important for an eCommerce website. After all, when you purchase goods from a regular store, you don't sign a contract with the cashier or the manager – essentially, a Terms and Conditions agreement makes it easier to resolve disputes if they arise.
Remember, if you're selling services or goods, there's a lot that can go wrong, and it's very often not your fault.
In this article, we will lay out what an eCommerce website T&C agreement entails, what you need to consider to give your business the best legal cover possible, why T&C agreements are so important for your eCommerce website, and how to display your T&C Agreement.
What is an eCommerce terms and conditions (T&C) agreement?
- Limitations of liability
- Intellectual property/trademark protection
- Pricing and payment terms, including shipping, returns, exchanges and cancellations
- Product information
- Dispute resolution
Why does an eCommerce website need a terms and conditions agreement?
- It provides legal protection for you and your business especially from a liability
- It clarifies your online store's checkout process
- It protects your intellectual property and trademarks and defines acceptable use cases
- It gives a detailed account of how you intend on handling and resolving disputes
- It gives you a platform to explain your payment terms, delivery terms, product information, warranties, return/refund policy, order cancellation and so forth
How to Display Your Terms and Conditions Agreement
The next step is knowing how and where to display it – since the T&C is there to protect you and your customers, it is in both your best interests to place it somewhere noticeable.
Below are a few key places to display them:
- Website Footer
- Account Creation and Login
- Product Purchase Process
In conclusion
In conclusion, you may not legally required to have Terms and Conditions, but it is a vital part of running an eCommerce business. It is in you and your customer’s best interests to have this agreement because legal disputes are a nightmare for any merchant, especially if it is an avoidable one.
You can write your own Terms and Conditions easily – just make sure you include the several important clauses discussed in this article, display it adequately on your site, and get explicit, active consumer agreement through click-wrap methods.
To ensure long term success, take preventing measures by setting up your Terms and Conditions agreement – once you have it done, you can focus on other things, like sales and profits.
