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How to Create & Edit BigCommerce store's Terms of Service?

Last updated: August 01, 2024
Written and researched by experts at AvadaLearn more about our methodology

By Sam Nguyen

CEO Avada Commerce

Do you have a BigCommerce store, or are you considering opening one? Even the most self-assured business owners can be shaken by the announcement of a new online shop.

However, deciding on the best eCommerce site, such as BigCommerce, is just half the fight.

You’ll need a completely functional service (yet simple to use), has beautiful models and designs and is reasonably priced.

With all of these features, you’ll be able to create a solid online store that keeps your customers coming back for more.

In this article, we’ll look at why you’ll want a collection of Terms of Service for consumers who buy items from your BigCommerce store in this post.

What is a Terms of Service

Terms of Service are a collection of guidelines that users must comply with in order to use a service, and these are commonly used for legal purposes to determine how the platform can be used.

You can include a warranty disclaimer and restrict liability in your Terms of Service, as well as protect your interests by reminding customers that you own the content on your website, including your logo, site design, features, and more.

By clearly stating your expectations for users upfront, you will ensure transparency and boost consumer confidence in your brand. A Privacy Policy may be included in the Terms of Service.

Creating a Terms of Service agreement clarifies the standards for site visitors and ensures that you are held accountable. It can cover a variety of subjects, including:

  • Define any terms or phrases used in the store or business

  • Describe the correct or intended usage

  • Define misuse

  • Assign responsibility for one’s acts, conduct, and behaviour

  • Provide information on the cost of a subscription or membership

  • Describe your opt-out policies

  • Describe your methods for resolving conflicts

  • Any disclaimers and limitations of liability should be included

  • Explain that if these terms change, users will be notified.

Your Terms of Service will have material that is specific to your business. Check the content of your Terms of Service with a legal professional to ensure that it complies with the legal requirements of your jurisdiction.

BigCommerce customer service is unable to provide clear advice. Terms of Service agreements are generally included in the store’s website’s footer.

The benefits of Terms of Service

There are many advantages for both you and your clients. The TERMS OF SERVICEs should tell your customers who to contact in the case of a disagreement, and the agreement itself would serve as the basis for resolution.

It will also safeguard the company’s copyright and trademarks. A Terms of Service agreement can cover a wide range of topics

1. Payment Data

A simple payment system between your company and your customers is essential for any successful business.

In a Terms of Service, explicit payment agreements will help reassure your consumers and ensure that they’re informed of essential elements like accepted payment methods on your BigCommerce store or the currency they’ll be paid in (particularly useful if you sell overseas).

It’s also a good idea to include any taxes or extra fees that your customers might face. In the case of a conflict, using this information will cover you.

Furthermore, without this knowledge, your support staff could spend a significant amount of time answering emails on this subject when it could be covered in a few clear sentences in your Terms of Service.

Consider having the following clauses in your Terms of Service:

  • Payment method(s) that your customers will use to purchase your goods

  • The currency in which your customers will be billed (very useful if selling overseas)

  • Any extra taxes or levy information

2. Return Policy

Your customers won’t be able to walk into your store and return an item if you’re using BigCommerce for your online retail company.

Instead, you should include your Returns policy in your TERMS OF SERVICE agreement.

According to one study, 67 percent of online shoppers look at the return policy before making a purchase, and 92 percent will buy something again if the return process is easy.

Your return policy should specify how long a customer needs to tell you that they want to return an item and how they will be refunded (e.g. store credit, a like-for-like product, etc.).

Different stores have different cancellation policies. When a consumer has a change of heart, certain retailers that sell big or bespoke items will not allow refunds.

Consider including the following in your Terms of Service:

  • Customers’ deadlines for returning unwanted products

  • Reasons why a customer would want to return something to your store

  • Customers’ refunding options (i.e. store credit, like-for-like product)

3. Shipping and Delivery

Customers may have concerns about the delivery of their products before placing an order at your BigCommerce shop.

Set out a straightforward shipping and distribution procedure in your TERMS OF SERVICE agreement to alleviate any concerns.

BigCommerce has a comprehensive support section that explains how to set up shipping for your shop.

You may choose to deliver a limited number of shipping options or a wide variety of shipping options.

Whatever route you take, it’s important to state your shipping rates clearly. This can be done directly in the TERMS OF SERVICE agreement or by adding a connection to a separate agreement.

Although your BigCommerce store can be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection, there may be geographical limitations on where your product can be shipped (due to local laws), or you can want to ship only within your country or area.

By including this information in your TERMS OF SERVICE agreement, your customers will be able to quickly determine whether or not they will be able to receive your goods in their region.

Consider including the following in your Terms of Service:

  • Details on the customers’ standard/expedited delivery choices

  • Data on the costs of the distribution services you provide

  • Countries and jurisdictions to which your goods can be shipped

4. Gift Cards, Discount Codes, and Coupon Codes

With this in mind, BigCommerce offers several options for enabling discounts in your shop.

This platform also allows your customers to use gift cards that are exclusive to your business.

Discount codes are usually accompanied by rules and regulations to ensure that they are not misused by consumers (only one discount code per purchase, for example).

Gift vouchers or gift cards are great additions to your BigCommerce shop because they can be used instead of a single item for birthdays or holidays.

By including this detail in your Terms of Service, you will ensure that your customers are aware of any limitations on discounts or gift cards at your store.

These provisions are beneficial to have in your TERMS OF SERVICE agreement because they will serve as the foundation for any consumer disputes.

Consider including the following in your Terms of Service:

  • In what ways can consumers use gift cards/discounts in your store?

  • Details on any limitations that might apply to customers who use gift cards or discount codes in your shop.

  • Gift card expiration rules

There may be limitations on who can buy from your shop, depending on the type of company.

For example, if you own a vaporizer shop, you are prohibited from selling to someone under the age of legal smoking.

You can specify in your TERMS OF SERVICE agreement who can and cannot purchase your goods, as stated in the Shipping and Delivery section.

This protects you in the event of potential conflicts, particularly if your company sells goods that are only available to a specific demographic (i.e. age or location).

Finally, you should provide details in your Terms of Service to ensure that consumers know how their personal information will be used.

The most straightforward way to do this is to provide a connection to your Privacy Policy, which is required by law in most jurisdictions.

Consider including the following in your Terms of Service:

  • Any legal limits for customers using your store (such as age or other details)

  • A hyperlink to your privacy statement (which is required by law in most jurisdictions)

6. Contact Information

Include your company’s contact details to reassure consumers that you are available if they have any questions or concerns about their order.

Customers can communicate with online businesses via a variety of channels, including phone calls, emails, and social media (an estimated 67 percent of consumers use Facebook or Twitter to ask for help, according to one survey).

Because of the pace of social media, many customers demand 24-hour service from even small businesses.

It’s also a good idea to provide your usual customer service hours so that your customers know when they should expect an answer.

It’s a good idea to have as many contact options as you can. A physical address, an email address, a phone number, and/or social media networks are examples.

Consider including the following in your Terms of Service:

  • Your company’s email, phone, and/or social media contact information

  • Your customer service hours

  • Responding to emails is expected to take a certain amount of time.

How to create and edit your BigCommerce store’s Terms of Service

If you’ve finished writing your terms, you’ll need to create a web page to show them on.

Paste the contents of your Terms of Service into the WYSIWYG editor. This gives users access to a web page that they can access at any time and link to if they have any questions.

Before completing an order, some countries and companies can require express consent from customers.

Scroll down to Order and check the box to Require customers to agree terms and conditions in Advanced Settings Checkout.

Pick Link to my terms and conditions page and paste the URL into the text box if you’ve built a web page for your terms.

Link to my terms and conditions page Checkbox Source: Jmango 360

If you don’t have a separate web page or just want to view this text on the checkout page, you can type in the terms and conditions.

Templates and Generators

You can not gain or retain the confidence of your site users if you do not have correct and current terms and conditions.

This means you might lose out on new customers, and some of your current ones might switch to a rival that takes a more ethical approach to privacy issues.

Not only do you need a Terms of Service, but you also need to update it if you make adjustments to how you handle visitor details.

Here are some of the best tools for creating an accessible Terms of Service template page for your website.

1. TermsFeed

TermsFeed is compliant with GDPR, CalOPPA, CCPA, and more

TermsFeed allows you to easily and quickly build premium custom legal agreements that are legally binding for your customers.

TermsFeed helps you build the following documents: – Privacy Policy – Terms and Conditions – End User License Agreement – Return and Refund Policy – Cookie Policy Websites, mobile apps, desktop apps, eCommerce stores, and SaaS apps all require these agreements.

If you collect email addresses, use geolocation, or market goods and services, the agreements can be tailored to your unique business needs.

TermsFeed is one of the best tools for developing personalized legal agreements that are legally binding.

2. iubenda

Start generating your Terms of Service with iubenda

Iubenda is far more than a free privacy policy generator for people. It also explains why and how you would need policies for services like Google AdSense and AdWords and Mailchimp, Facebook, mailing lists, and cookies.

Policies can be created in ten different languages, including English. Iubenda is a regulatory platform for businesses, software makers, and entities of all sizes, from small businesses to major corporations.

Honda, Peroni, Rai, and Boggi are among the customers who have chosen iubenda’s services.

The annual cost of iubenda starts at $27.00 per feature. A free edition is available. However, iubenda doesn’t offer a free trial.

3. Trust Guard

Trust Guard – a trust-worthy brand

PCI enforcement, malware defense, and data security are all areas where Trust Guard is a global leader.

Trust Guard has thousands of loyal clients and has been in operation for over a decade.

They provide invasive checks, finding bugs, and providing comprehensive advice as an Authorized Scanning Vendor (ASV) partner to keep your client’s websites secure while protecting their customers’ personal details.

True to the brand’s name, it offers a trust seal you can display on your website. It informs visitors that your platform is stable and clean, making them more likely to purchase anything you’re offering.

Trust-Guard guarantees that you have the most up-to-date and comprehensive privacy policies available.

4. GetTerms.io

A professional Terms of Service super quick with GetTerms

GetTerms is a great tool for writers, freelancers, and small businesses to create privacy policies.

It’s a straightforward, no-frills privacy policy builder with a beautiful, user-friendly interface. You can choose between free, basic, or robust privacy policies by filling out a simple form—no email or sign-up required.

They have portals, smartphone apps, SaaS software, e-commerce sites, and news/blog platforms with various customized privacy policies.

5. Shift4Shop Personalized Privacy & Return Policy Generator

Shift4Shop Personalized Privacy & Return Policy Generator

Shift4shop is an eCommerce services provider for small to medium-sized enterprises. They’ve built a convenient and entirely customized privacy and returns policy generator tool to make your consumers feel safe when shopping on your website.

Shift4shop already has an excellent blog post about how to write a successful privacy and return policy.

6. Termly.io

Termly.io Free Terms and Conditions Generator

The GDPR, CCPA, ePrivacy Regulation, and other privacy regulations are all covered by Termly’s compliance suite, which is available for free.

Operating a company necessitates adherence to a broad range of regulations, policies, and service provider guidance.

Trying to follow one of these rules on your own is a headache and a challenge. Termly will assist you in reducing the burden of regulatory enforcement and provide peace of mind.

Their free legal policy generators and cookie consent manager will help you protect your company.

In minutes, you can scan your site for cookies, create GDPR-compliant rules, and produce user consent banners.

7. Privacy Policy Generator

Get your free Terms of Service with Privacy Policy Generator Source: Privacy Policy Online

The only free privacy policy generator we recommend is Privacy Policy Generator, and even then, we only recommend it when you have no other choice.

This site has the most straightforward, most basic mechanism of all regulation generators we reviewed, asking just nine questions.

That means you can get the skeleton of a privacy policy in under a minute, all for free.

There will never be a free program that provides the full benefits of all significant clauses enforcement. You’ll have to fill in that information yourself or find someone to do that for you.

8. PrivacyPolicies.com

PrivacyPolicies’s professional-looking interface

This is a common alternative, with a high Google rating for privacy policy generators. If you’re a personal user, it’s free, and if you’re an enterprise, you just have to pay a small one-time fee.

You won’t ever have a blueprint, and that’s the same as what everyone else gets. The standard framework can be altered to represent your personal needs when you input your content, which is critical because every website and company is different.

9. AutoTerms Privacy

A WordPress plugin that can help with your Terms of Service

If you use WordPress, you can create a privacy policy using a WordPress plugin. Get a simple privacy policy in no time by downloading the free Auto Terms of Use and Privacy Policy WordPress plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory.

This plugin allows you to customize a tweaked version of Automattic’s (WordPress’s developers) terms and conditions and privacy policy statement.

10. Terms and Conditions Template - The Best Free Terms and Conditions Generator

Terms and Conditions Template - The Best Free Terms and Conditions Generator

This is the only free terms and conditions generator that does as it says and provides a legal conditions agreement page that protects your company.

The generator is very user-friendly if you can get through the obsolete website. We like that it is entirely free with no strings attached.

The vast majority of “simple terms and conditions” providers include a simple free mechanism to get you in the house, then upsell you to maximize profits.

The disadvantage is that this paper would fall short of TermsFeed, GetTerms, or Termly in terms of content.

There’s nothing wrong with starting with a free Terms of Service page if you’re a tiny site with nothing to lose. If you’re serious about your company, though, you can invest in a legitimate service.

Conclusion

Several websites can assist you with creating your privacy policies. However, you must think of what you want your policy to cover.

While most websites use static models, you’ll need to create or modify one to meet all of your company’s needs.

You should get legal counsel to get a professional privacy policy developed if possible (as it is recommended).

Since having an erroneous privacy policy is just as terrible, if not worse, than having none at all.

In certain nations, privacy policies are required by statute, so you can find out what the legal criteria are where you live. Consider it a form of protection.

You don’t want to get charged because you mishandled someone’s details, and they were not pleased.

Use an online platform to create a privacy policy, but do your homework and get legal counsel if necessary. Don’t believe you’ve written a policy that would protect any eventuality.


Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.

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