19.06.2020 Ankara
A promotional meeting was held by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) with new e-commerce companies joining the “trust seal” system, which allows consumers to shop safely electronically.
Speaking
at the meeting he attended via video conference system, the Union of Chambers
and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu noted
that the number of companies to have received “trust seal” had reached 18, “I
call on our citizens to choose our sites which have received a seal of trust.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that the Ministry of Commerce has made numerous developments for the
continuation of trade during the Covid-19 outbreak, and that within this scope,
electronic trade information system was established to record e-commerce and
nearly 20,000 companies were registered. Hisarcıklıoğlu, touching on the “e-Commerce
Stands with SMEs” campaign launched last month, reported that 28 companies have
joined in the campaign with advantageous packages for SMEs.
Pointing
out that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation,
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Although the rate of online shopping of internet users in
our country is increasing day by day, it is well behind the world average. The
biggest obstacle to online shopping is a lack of trust. Consumers don't want to
share their credit card information and personal data. Unfortunately, sites not
prepared in accordance with the legal framework also fuel these problems. In
order to prevent this trust issue, the seal of trust in e-commerce entered our
lives with the efforts of our Minister of Commerce.”
- “We are launching our campaign
with the slogan, ‘peace of mind’”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that, under the auspices of the Ministry of Commerce, they started to issue
trust seal in e-commerce sites, and that companies which received this seal, have
their technical infrastructure designed in accordance with the legislation
issued by the Ministry and regularly protect customer data against possible
internet piracy with infiltration tests. Hisarcıklıoğlu, noted:
“By
checking more than 100 criteria, e-commerce sites which meet the relevant
requirements receive a 'trust seal' at the end of the process and allow them to
place the ‘TR-GO’ logo on their website. With our complaint line established
within our Union, we act as a bridge between our consumers and e-commerce sites
which have earned the seal of trust. In January, with a ceremony hosted by Our
Minister of Commerce Pekcan, we presented the first 12 e-commerce sites which
qualified with their seals of trust. Today, the number has increased to 18,
with our 6 additional companies which have received their seals. We start our
campaign with the slogan 'Peace of Mind' and we say to our consumers that you
can shop from these sites with peace of mind. I urge our citizens to choose the
sites which have the seal of trust.”
- Minister of Commerce Ruhsar
Pekcan
Trade
Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said that the importance of e-commerce was seen all over
the world during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pekcan
stated that e-Commerce is a strategic activity area for the country's economies
with the effect of eliminating geographical boundaries, uninterrupted service
delivery, market entry and business costs, and said that e-commerce offers
important opportunities in supporting SMEs, tradesmen and producer associations
in some branches of activity.
Minister
Pekcan, said: “The expansion of e-Commerce, besides its benefits, also has a
potential risk. Just like in conventional trade, the contract terms between the
parties must be processed well, all issues, from the satisfactory delivery of
goods, delivery forms and payment conditions, should be defined in advance in a
way that pleases both sides so that there is no eventual disagreement.”
Pekcan,
pointing out that the trust seal system is very important in this framework,
said that the rights of consumers should be protected and the necessary
infrastructure should be provided to prevent misinformation.
Noting
that the protection of personal data transferred to the internet is also an
important security issue, Pekcan said that “e-Commerce should ensure that the
parties should be regulated, audited and secure without compromising the
freedom of contract and market effectiveness.”
Pekcan
stated that Turkey is in an ambitious and developmental position in the field
of e-commerce, and explained that the country has advantages because of its
young, dynamic and communication technology oriented population and
geo-strategic position.
- “Turkey is becoming an important
actor in the global e-commerce market”
Pointing
out that Turkey's ability to be an important and decisive actor in the global
e-commerce market is increasing day by day and the importance of maintaining
e-commerce with a strong, safe infrastructure, Pekcan said, “In this context,
we have created a trust seal system in e-commerce in order to meet expectations
on security, privacy and quality of service, to address concerns and to
establish the reliability of e-commerce sites.”
In
this context, recalling that they authorized TOBB as a “trust seal provider”,
Pekcan said that e-commerce sites which want to join the system can apply on a
voluntary basis through www.guvendamgasi.org.tr
Pekcan
stated that the applications will be evaluated within the framework of the
relevant legislation, and that e-commerce sites determined to meet the criteria
allocated a seal of trust.
Noting
that e-commerce sites with trust seals will behave in accordance with the
relevant legislation on consumer protection, personal data, payment systems and
will be audited by a reliable authority, Pekcan said:
“These
sites will use certificates that allow information to be viewed only by the
website and the relevant user, and vulnerabilities will be identified through
periodic tests. Recipients will be able to obtain information about their order
and effectively evaluate requests and complaints. Many details about the
properties of the goods, such as inventory information, content, measurements,
will be included on the site. It will also provide the buyer with information
about the status of their order and cargo tracking facilities.”
- “We will continue promotional
activities”
Pekcan,
all businesses to take this seal and to raise awareness of citizens will
continue their promotional activities with TOBB, “The trust seal system will
allow our small businesses, especially e-commerce, to create a perception of
trust and introduce themselves.” he said.
Reminiscent
of the digitization steps taken by the ministry during the epidemic and before,
Pekcan gave information about the support they provide to virtual fair and
trade delegation applications.
Pekcan,
Turkey's digital economy in the field of steps to accelerate, emphasizing that
they will continue to produce projects on this issue, said they are open to any
contributions and suggestions that can be made on this issue.
- “We will make the most of the
opportunities brought by e-Commerce”
Calling
on e-Commerce sites, Pekcan said, “Together with all our stakeholders, industry
actors and trade people, we will make the best use of the opportunities brought
by e-commerce and improve our production and export. I invite all our
e-commerce sites to continue their activities by applying for trust seals in
line with our country's quality priorities in e-commerce.”
Pekcan
thanked the Ministry and TOBB employees who contributed to the creation and
implementation of the trust seal mechanism in e-commerce.
- Other speakers
GittiGidiyor
General Manager and TOBB E-Commerce Council Chairman Öget Kantarcı said, “we
are accelerating our work together to promote the trust seal which our Ministry
of Commerce and TOBB's valuable contributions have brought about. Small and
medium-sized e-commerce platforms, which are not particularly recognized by the
consumer, will also have the opportunity to develop more in this chain. As
GittiGidiyor, we are very pleased to be one of the first companies to receive
the Trust Seal and contribute to the process.”
Murat
Emirdağ, CEO Hepsiburada, stated that electronic commerce has become a
supporter of the retail sector, acting as one of the locomotive sectors in
Turkey, “As a platform which always treats legislation appropriately, we care
about providing uninterrupted service, and we recommend that consumers make
their preferences in favor of companies that always have a trust seal.”
Modanisa
General Manager and Vice President of the TOBB e-Commerce Council Sami Güzel
said that the Trust Seal establishes reliable online shopping as well as
contributes to exports through the integration of European Union umbrella institutions.
Noting that Turkey markets ready-to-wear to the world in 6 languages on 5
continents, Güzel is proud to carry the seal of trust, “We are proud to be worthy
of the Trust Seal us as a sign of our maximum effort to ensure customer privacy
and security. We would like to thank our Minister, Ministry of Commerce and
TOBB for their valuable work and contributions to the sector and exports.”
Sahibinden.com
CEO and TOBB E-Commerce Council Member Burak Ertaş said, “We have witnessed the
intensive e-commerce uses of consumers during this period, and we think that
e-commerce will continue to grow in a healthy way in the coming period as well.
We are happy to be part of this project, which brings together companies which offer
a safe shopping experience in order to raise awareness of consumers.”
Pegasus
General Manager Mehmet Nane, stated that as Pegasus Airlines, “We are proud and
happy to be one of the first companies to receive the 'Trust Seal' with our
mobile applications and e-commerce site flypgs.com, which we have continuously
developed in line with our Digital Airline rhetoric.”
Trendyol
Board Member and TOBB E-Commerce Council Member Ozan Acar also expressed
gratitude to Minister Pekcan and TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu for their
support of the sector, “Our Minister made our efforts to keep the wheels of the
economy turning during the pandemic visible. Our President promoted e-commerce at
every opportunity. E-commerce is growing the registered part of the economy,
increasing the consumer's well-being and most importantly doing so in an
employment-friendly way. We know that the trust seal has made significant contributions
to the growth of e-commerce and the growth of e-commerce contributes
significantly to the development of the Turkish economy. The trust seal is a
step that will increase the consumer's confidence in e-commerce and the brand
owner's self-confidence. As Trendyol, we are ready to work with our Ministry
and our Union to ensure that the seal of trust is an industry standard.”
Sefamerve
Chairman and TOBB E-Commerce Council Member Mehmet Metin Okur said, “Our
relations with our customers is based on mutual trust. Customer confidence and
intimacy are more important in our industry than anything else. At a time when
the world is becoming digital and a concept that is difficult to measure as
trust, we are proud to be one of the first companies to use the TRGO logo to
contribute to e-commerce. Together with our customers, we have become stronger
in the journey of becoming a brand worth its value with the TRGO seal.
According to our measurements, our overseas customers find it worth paying up
to 25% more fees than the products of other countries we compete with when they
have ‘Turkish Goods’ for the same product. The TRGO seal will become more effective
as it becomes more common and will contribute to the e-export targets of both
Sefamerve and our country.”
Arçelik
Director Erhan Akdoğan also expressed that they first shared the Güven Seal promotional
video via the dealer, sales teams and the organization-wide channel Arçelik
Retail TV. “Getting the support of the Ministry and TOBB has created great
excitement and satisfaction in the entire organization,” Akdoğan said.
Mustafa
Bartın, Deputy General Manager of E-Commerce at Migros Ticaret A.Ş. and member
of the TOBB Turkey E-commerce Council, said, “As Migros, we are one of the
first companies in Turkey to receive the Trust Seal certificate, as well as
being the most widespread online food platform in Turkey. The trust seal system
created in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and TOBB is a strong step
in this field in order to establish a trust in e-commerce. Especially in this
period we are in, we have seen once again how critical confidence in e-commerce
is. With Migros Virtual Market, Macro online, Tazedirekt and Migros Hemen, we
have been assurance for our customers. Although our online sales have increased
4-fold and our over-65 customers increased 3-fold, thanks to our strong
ecosystem, logistics infrastructure and strong cooperation with our
manufacturers and with 5,000 additional jobs, we have met this demand without
interruption. We know trust is the lifeblood of e-commerce. In terms of SMEs,
online media is sure to be an important growth area. As Migros, with our
e-commerce power, we will continue to be the guarantee of both SMEs, consumers
and the economy.”
Sedat
Anak, General Manager of Avansas and Avansaspro, said, “This initiative, which
was put forward in cooperation with our Ministry of Commerce and TOBB, was a
breakthrough that reinforced the confidence element of our business. We know
very well how important consumer confidence is in the rapidly e-commerce world.
Our research says 32% of people don't think it's safe to shop online. The
responsibility of the leading E-commerce brands of the sector in this meeting,
like us, is to provide this trust. In our May survey, 7% of our new customers
said they used e-commerce for the first time. We believe that we should not
embarrass those who try such internet shopping for the first time, we should
instill trust.”
N11
Board Member and the TOBB E-Commerce Council Member Izi Adato said, “The ‘Trust
Seal,’ which was brought to life with the initiative of the Union of Chambers
and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey and our Ministry, represents trust in the
sector and e-commerce for us. The sensitivity of vendor and customer
information represents a quality and peaceful shopping experience and a
business understanding that the hygiene rules required by the new world are
also taken seriously. as n11.com, we attach great importance to our 180,000
registered partners and more than 20 million members to serve within the
framework of this understanding, and to announce this trust in any environment
that our new symbol will be instilled in every environment.”
EPttavm,
Farmasi, sigortam.net, Sarar and Ebebek companies participating in the campaign
stated that they will also be contributing to the campaign.