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You may be an eCommerce business, but as a business selling online, you still need to get business insurance. Online retailer insurance is essential as it protects your business against risks. Every business owner invests time and money into their business, so when things go wrong, you do not want to lose out. No one can tell what the future holds, so having insurance means you have a safety net where your things for your online business do not turn out as you expect, such as if you experience property damage in your business. Insurance can also cover you when you are legally liable for something. This article will explain what types of insurance products you should take out if you run an eCommerce business.
1) eCommerce Business Insurance
When you take out eCommerce insurance for your online business, it can cover you for various eventualities. Often, insurance providers tailor-make your insurance package to cover specific events that are a risk for your business type. For example, your eCommerce insurance package may include:
- public and product liability insurance; and
- cyber and data risks insurance.
There are many reasons why you should take out eCommerce business insurance. For instance, your eCommerce business faces many risks. If your online business does not have eCommerce business insurance, you may not be able to afford to fix or remedy any issues that may subsequently arise. Your eCommerce business may experience issues and risks such as:
- supply chain issues;
- technology failing;
- cyber-attacks;
- stolen stock;
- a fire that destroys your stock to sell online in your warehouse; or
- a flood that causes damage.
2) Contents Insurance Cover
A business insurance cover that your eCommerce business will likely need is contents insurance cover. Contents insurance cover, in essence, protects your business’s assets. If your eCommerce business has this insurance cover:
- any contents you may have in your business premises where you base your eCommerce business, such as an office, will be protected;
- loss of any online stock will be covered; and
- goods in transit for when you ship your online products to your eCommerce customers will also be covered.
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3) Product Liability Insurance
You are responsible if your products cause injury or damage to another person, such as your online customer, which is product liability. As such, if one of your eCommerce customers makes a claim against your online business, your product liability insurance should cover any amount that needs to be paid out.
4) Public Liability Insurance
It is also prudent for you to take out public liability insurance. Public liability insurance safeguards your business against personal injury or property damage claims made by a number of groups. Groups who could make this claim against your eCommerce business include customers or visitors to your eCommerce store. For example, suppose your eCommerce website was hacked and a website visitor, not a customer, was also hacked and their personal information was stolen. Any subsequent payout this website visitor would request would likely all be covered by your public liability insurance.
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Key Takeaways
As an eCommerce business owner, you should take out the insurance products that suit your online business. It is very likely that eCommerce business insurance will be beneficial for your online business. If your online business has this insurance, you are likely covered for any cyber security or data privacy issues that may occur in the future. On a similar note, contents insurance cover is also useful to take out. This insurance product covers you for any damage that may occur to your online business’s assets.
Product liability insurance is also useful for your eCommerce business. Your product may inadvertently cause injury to the customer or in some way damage your customer’s property. In such an event, you would be covered for any amount that would need to be subsequently paid out. Public liability insurance is also essential for your eCommerce business. This insurance product is particularly useful where a member of the public visits your website and is harmed in some manner.
If you need help understanding what insurance products your eCommerce business requires, contact our experienced eCommerce lawyers as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us today on 0808 196 8584 or visit our membership page.
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