[ 10 April 2000 ] Corporatisation Of Casetrust

CommerceNet Singapore is pleased to announce that CaseTrust has successfully completed the initial pilot stage and has been well received by retailers and e-tailers. The idea was conceived in 1997 by CommerceNet Singapore, and a joint scheme was formed in 1998 among Retail Promotion Centre, Consumer Association of Singapore and CommerceNet Singapore under the name of CaseTrust to explore the possibilities to generate consumer awareness and assurance needed to encourage electronic commerce transactions locally. CaseTrust aims to serve two purposes. The first is to provide guidance to the industry members on agreed retailing standards and conduct. The second is to assure consumers that retailers will observe their rights through these agreed standard.

There are two aspects to the CaseTrust scheme; Web Accreditation is designed for web retailers; this entails Internet sites having in place good business practices and additional assurance on transaction integrity via information security and procedures. Store Based Accreditation is designed for retail stores to ensure that there is a compliance with a code of good business practice. Web and Store retailers will have to meet and pass an assessment criteria and agree to abide by a code of practice before they are accredited to be CaseTrust members. The key to both Web and Store accreditation is open declaration of trade practices that are observed by the retailers themselves, making it known and transparent so that the consumers knows what to expect from his purchase from the point of browsing and buying to after-sales. In respect to web retailers, this process is extended to information security and integrity.

The scheme was expanded to brick and mortar retail shops in response to the increasing number of complaints received from residents and tourists against errant retailers. CaseTrust is now better known as an accreditation scheme that aims to promote good business practices among store-based and web-based retailers. The scheme enables consumers to shop with confidence by encouraging retailers to institute up-front declaration of retail policies to minimize possible disputes. Retailers who meet the criteria stipulated in the CaseTrust code of practice will be given a logo to display at the storefront or web page.

To date, CaseTrust has audited more than 251 physical outlets and 35 major web sites and plans to go global. March marks the month that CaseTrust starts ‘CaseTrusting’ international e-tailers. We have built strategic partnerships with regional service providers and major malls that will spearhead the globalization of CaseTrust. CommerceNet Singapore, which is spearheading an Asian Trust Mark Project, will be presenting CaseTrust at CommerceNet Asia meeting in Tokyo this April. CommerceNet Singapore hopes to establish CaseTrust as the premier trust mark adopted through the global CommerceNet network.

The expected strong revenue streams from global licensing and the impending release of other pilot accreditation schemes within CaseTrust (e.g. ServiceTrust, PrivacyTrust, QualityTrust and BusinessTrust) are set to propel the CaseTrust into aviable independent business concern. CommerceNet Singapore hopes to spin-off the project to free up resources currently committed into the project. CaseTrust will seek adequate funding and will be corporatised before the end of this year. The funding will enable cutting edge web-based software implementation and system integration, and to execute the planned business development and events to proceed smoothly. CommerceNet Singapore’s members may soon be invited to co-own the project. Members will be updated periodically.