As many as half of online sellers may be in breach of EU law and open to enforcement procedures.

An EU-wide sweep into misleading advertising and unfair practices has just concluded. Over half of the 369 sites examined had difficulties.

The sites had misleading information on consumer rights, refund policies and contact details for the site owners. Some also lacked any info on additional delivery charges thus not sharing them before buyers purchased.

All offending sites have a period of time to rectify their irregularities before enforcement procedures commence.

Novena says: It is increasingly important to develop strong long-term relationships with your online customers. This is made harder if customers are misled on key aspects of their purchase or if hidden charges are spring on them later in the process. Transparency builds trust and trust builds repeat business and ultimately, brand loyalty.