When you are setting up a website it is so important to think about the security of your customers. You have no obligation to keep them and their personal details safe, but many of them will be very aware of the protection that is available and will know what signs to look for to see whether you have it in place.
Most people do not have a big understanding of SSL certificates they may not even know what they do or are. However, they do know that a padlock on a website shows it has security as does a https:// web address. Many potential customers will look for these before making an online purchase.
If you have an eCommerce site, then you will need to consider whether you should use an SSL certificate to make people confident to buy things from you. If you are using a payment processor then they will be taken to a separate website to make their payment which will have their own SSL certificate. Therefore it will not be necessary to have your own as their payments will be secured. However, customers may not realize that they will be taken to another site and so it may still put them off buying from you. It may be wise to either make it clear that they will be taken to the payment processors secure site to make payments or have Comodo Positive SSL certificate to make your site secure anyway.
It is important to realize that customers really worry about online security. If they do not trust that your site is safe, then they will not buy anything from you. You need to be very sure that you have their confidence and trust. If they do not have any trust in you they will not buy and if they trust you they will. If they can see that you have gone to the effort to make sure that online transactions are secure, then they will be happier to buy from you. They will know that you are trying to protect them.
It is not just security that will help to build up trust. However, it is an important aspect of it. Customers will want to be sure that you will dispatch the goods as well as the fact that their payment is secure. There is still a lot of online fraud and they will want to make sure that they are protected from it.
If you are using a merchant banking system then it will be up to you to secure the payments using an SSL certificate. You will almost certainly need one if you want customers to buy things from your website. Without them, they will be at risk of their personal data being stolen and this will discourage them from making a payment. If they do make a payment and their details get intercepted, then this could ruin your reputation as a seller. It is therefore worth making sure that you make as much effort as you can to keep your customers secure.