Fostering trust with your customers is one of the most important aspects of attracting and retaining them. When you build trust signals on your eCommerce website, it can deliver substantial benefits to your business, including more sales, referrals, reviews, and more.
If a customer can’t trust that your website is secure and your business is legitimate, they will quickly move on. So, how can you effectively build trust with customers? Let’s take a look.
Unfortunately, online fraud is an epidemic in the eCommerce world. Fraud reports by consumers jumped in 2020. That’s due to several factors. First, more consumers adopted eCommerce than ever before as a necessity. Second, fraudsters took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to lure unsuspecting customers to fraudulent sites.
Ensuring that consumers have confidence ins imperative, as 92% of those in the U.S. said they are hesitant to provide personal information on eCommerce websites.
Customers that walk into a retail location can see and feel the merchandise. They can interact with associates and immediately receive what they want after purchase. eCommerce is, of course, different. Consumers provide payment then wait for delivery of an item. How trusting can they be unless they have verifiability?
A lack of trust online has real consequences. For example, shoppers abandon nearly 70% of all shopping carts online. Why? The leading reason is concern about business legitimacy, followed by apprehension about security and order fulfillment.
So, how can you build trust so that these things don’t happen, and you can reassure customers that you’re the real deal?
Reviews from real customers influence buyer behavior. They’ll be much more likely to buy from you if others vouch for your quality and service. Product pages are the ideal spot for reviews. You should also include them on your home page.
To get more reviews, send out emails to customers after they receive your order. You can also prompt them to review when they revisit your site.
Communicating to customers how and when you’ll take returns and exchanges can provide customers with more confidence. Many eCommerce sites offer free returns and shipping, which further alleviates concerns. Not many shoppers will buy something they’ve never physically seen if they can’t return it.
Finding your phone number or customer service email address shouldn’t be difficult for shoppers. If it is, they may discount you immediately. Put those in your website footer, so they are always visible. Adding a chat feature could be helpful as well for real-time support.
Consumers have come to expect these. They are indicators that your company uses secure methods and adheres to policies and procedures. For example, these badges can confirm safe checkout, accepted payments, and third-party endorsements (i.e., BBB or Google Trusted Store).
It’s hard to believe that some websites are still HTTP, but they are out there. Search engines immediately tell shoppers that their connection is not secure, which will cause them to bounce immediately. If you have not made this update, it’s probably the biggest reason you aren’t succeeding with eCommerce.
Customers want to know that they can use their credit cards on your site without concern. Having an eCommerce payment processor that’s secure takes that off your plate. It also prevents fraud on your site, which could impact your reputation.
Another good practice is to include social media links on your website and actually have a presence on them. It could open up new opportunities for consumers to buy from you (i.e., Facebook Shops). In addition, posting and replying to comments illustrate that your company is legit and cares about engagement with its customers.
Ensuring trust in your customers is challenging for eCommerce, but the tips above are the best ways to do so. The more you do to foster credibility in your buyer community, the more likely they’ll become loyal customers.
If you have questions about building trust for your eCommerce operations, contact us to learn more.