E-commerce has witnessed a significant boom over the last few years. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic further increased its importance, both for businesses as well as consumers. People today prefer to purchase goods from an online store rather than having to travel a distance and go through the hassle of finding them at brick-and-mortar outlets. With a good internet connection such as that offered in Optimum internet plans, online shopping can be fun and convenient. Similarly, for businesses e-commerce is a far cheaper investment with greater scope.
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Ecommerce Website Brand Trust
But with cybercriminal activities becoming more prevalent and dangerous, some consumers have become hesitant about online transactions. If a customer is not familiar with your brand, they may not feel comfortable sharing their details on your website and eventually choose not to purchase from it. And, as an e-commerce business owner, that’s the last thing you’d want. Hence, it is important to take the necessary steps to build a relationship of trust with your customers and potential customers. Let’s discuss what that involves.
1. Showcase Your Site Security
For a customer to shop from your online store, they need to be sure that their personal details will be kept confidential and payment information safe. According to research, 20% of online shoppers in America abandoned an order because of security concerns. This means that if you don’t take security protocols seriously, you could miss out on revenue from one in every five customers.
So, use trust signals across your site and checkout. These would boost the confidence of customers and thus increase your sales. Trust signals can be in the form of recognizable security badges such as that of GeoTrust or McAfee. A survey showed that more than 75% of customers don’t buy because they don’t recognize the trust logos on the website.
Another trust signal is an SSL certificate. It proves to the customer that the website is encrypted and secure by prompting the browser to show a padlock logo in the address bar. The SSL certificate is an indicator that the data being transferred from the browser to the server and back is protected. It must be mentioned here that any website without an SSL is marked ‘not secure’ by Google. So, if you don’t have it, you might not be able to win the trust of the user. To purchase SSL certificates, choose reputable companies like SSL2BUY.
Another way to encourage your customers to trust your checkout option is by offering them recognizable express payment options such as Apple Pay and PayPal. These well-known payment methods are convenient and secure for the user and they feel comfortable using them. Also, they don’t require credit card details which many customers are hesitant about sharing.
2. Design a Professional & Visually Appealing Website
It’s also important to give your website a professional and attractive look. Interestingly, a research found that over 40% of customers felt that a website’s credibility is directly related to how professional and appealing it is visually. Attractive high-quality web design is associated with a high level of legitimacy and authenticity. Conversely, unprofessional-looking websites are likely to draw the customers away. Especially for service-oriented businesses like the homer services, trust and confidence for the website’s credibility is the number 1 motivator for customers to give patronage. So pay attention to the aesthetics of your web design for home services and similar types of businesses and implement them professionally.
3. Transparency
Transparency across all steps and stages is essential when it comes to e-commerce. First of all, you need to have descriptive product pages with accurate honest information and high-quality pictures. Detailed product information is a major influence of customer’s purchasing decisions, so never ignore it. Also, being honest about the product details decreases its chances of being returned.
Your return and exchange policy also need to be very clear. In e-commerce, most customers are buying without the product physically try, so if you give them the option of return, they’d be more comfortable and open about shopping from your store. If possible, offer free returns as most shoppers wouldn’t complete a purchase if it includes a return shipping fee.
Finally, be honest and clear about shipping costs and delivery options. Make sure you provide your customers the correct delivery date estimate and tracking information.
4. Display Genuine Reviews
You can boast all you want about the features and benefits your product offers, but customers would only believe your claims if they are backed by reviews from real customers. This is why it is extremely important to display reviews on the product page. They significantly influence the potential customer’s decisions. If a customer doesn’t find any reviews, they may not trust you enough to purchase from your store. Also, bear in mind that only displaying positive reviews would make you suspicious in the eyes of the shopper. If your reviews look fake or edited, it would lose you the trust of the customer.
