Ecommerce merchants are always looking for ways to make their customer experience easier and more enjoyable for shoppers. One simple switch that can make all the difference for shoppers is enabling passwordless login for your customer portal.
By making account access hassle-free, without the need for remembering any password, your shoppers will be able to manage their orders without contacting customer support or going through a process to retrieve forgotten passwords.
Key takeaways
- Enabling passwordless login can make your customer experience smoother and more enjoyable for customers.
- Passwordless login offers a safe way for customers to access their customer portal, thanks to the authentication factor used.
What is a passwordless login?
Passwordless login is a modern approach to verifying a user’s identity without relying on traditional passwords. Instead of typing in a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters, users can access their accounts through alternative authentication methods.
These methods may include biometric authentication, one-time codes sent to their devices, or even the use of cryptographic keys. In essence, passwordless login aims to eliminate the reliance on password authentication, making the login process smoother and more secure for users.
Why brands should utilize passwordless authentication
How many passwords do you think you have created, across all the different accounts and devices you use on a daily or even weekly basis? You might not even be able to guess—there are too many passwords to remember these days.
As a consumer, have you ever forgotten a password and just abandoned whatever you were doing, instead of going through all the motions of retrieving or resetting your password? Or, have you used the same password for multiple accounts, even though you know that’s not the safest move?
To combat the growing number of passwords and the increasing amount of frustration that’s involved with remembering account details, ecommerce merchants should consider utilizing passwordless login. By giving customers the option to log into their customer portal without a password, you can take a lot of frustration and anger out of the equation, making your customer experience more seamless and enjoyable.
What are the benefits of passwordless authentication?
Accessing the customer portal is an important step of any customer journey. Ensuring your customers can access it smoothly and without issues is a key component of subscription and order management—giving customers the freedom to make any edits or changes to their orders from the portal.
With passwordless authentication, customers don’t have to worry about managing passwords. Some additional benefits to passwordless logins include:
- Enhanced security
- Reduced risk of unauthorized access or data breaches
- Seamless user experience
- Higher customer satisfaction and more conversions
- Reduced password-related issues for your customer support team
- Strong authentication factors
4 tips to implement passwordless authentication
Once you’ve decided to enable passwordless authentication, you’ll want to ensure you implement it in a way that makes sense for you and your customers—keeping usability and security in mind. Continue reading for four tips on how to best implement passwordless authentication, giving your customers secure access to their portal and eliminating the threat of weak passwords and lost or stolen credentials.
1. Make the authentication method simple
There are various passwordless authentication methods available, such as SMS-based one-time codes, email-based links, biometric authentication, or cryptographic keys. With passwordless login through Recharge, customers can easily login to manage their orders using a 4-digit authentication code sent via SMS or email, rather than having to sign in to their account.
2. Educate your users
In order for passwordless authentication to be successful, you have to educate your users—i.e. your customers—on how it works. The main reason passwordless login is implemented is to create a better user experience, but that’s not possible unless your customers know what they’re doing.
Guide customers through the process and ensure your instructions are simple to follow on the login screen. Offer additional support when you first implement it so that customers understand and get comfortable with the process.
3. Use multiple authentication factors
Merchants can enhance security by implementing multi-factor authentication. This involves using multiple authentication factors, such as something the user knows (like a PIN), something the user has (such as a smartphone), and something the user is (biometric data). These authentication factors add an extra layer of protection to your authentication process.
4. Offer passwordless recovery options
If you have passwordless authentication, then your brand should also offer passwordless recovery options if a user is having trouble accessing their account. Implementing passwordless recovery options, such as a backup email or phone number, can be beneficial in case users lose access to their primary authentication method. Password reset processes can often be tedious for customers—with passwordless recovery options you can eliminate a lot of frustration.
Effectively implement passwordless authentication for a better customer experience
Passwordless authentication can be a game-changer for merchants wanting to ease the process of customer portal access for their customers. By implementing it effectively, you can create a better user experience for customers and give them the power to edit their orders within the customer portal. Your users will thank you for it, and your platform will be better positioned for success.
Sources
[1] Passwordless login for the customer portal (Recharge Support)
