Two hundred global merchants, led by Ziff-Davis, have combined to create a standard for Internet commerce, with the overriding aim of establishing and promoting customer satisfaction, confidence and trust. Although the formal standard itself (http://www.gii.com/standard/index.html) may not be entirely appropriate for all web sites, the key principles should be adopted as good practice.

Many of the recommendations and requirements of the standard correspond to the requirements of the Which? Web Trader Scheme (http://www.which.com/webtrader/), which seeks to encourage traders to adopt an effective code of practice that supports and protects on-line consumers.

For example, sites should have an easily identified information center, where visitors can find the merchant name, legal identity and ownership, physical location and contact details, as well as relevant professional licences. A set of information should be provided, much of which has already been discussed in this article, but which includes:

• Information on all charges, including tax, shipping and insurance

- Information on warranties or guarantees

- Information on available product and service support

- Applicable law and jurisdiction for the merchant

- Payment options

- Cancellation, return and refund policies

- Credit card charging policy

- Policies on privacy, personal data and security

- Details of ordering and fulfilment process, including charges and notification of shipping and/or delays

- Customer service policy and complaints procedure

- Access by customer to account and order status.

Many of these require technical solutions, but most are management issues that should be addressed by most web sites, whether or not they are conducting transactions and selling products or services.