Trust is a crucial element in influencing consumer purchase decisions. Very few consumers are willing to just take a leap of faith and purchase from you, as they know that they can find everything they want on your competitors’ site.
Unfortunately, not enough attention goes into building long-term trust, even though it’s proven to drive customer loyalty.
Today, we put a lot of trust in what our peers think and look to the reviews of our fellow shoppers before making a decision.
To build e-commerce trust, your online business needs to ensure your website is optimized to make your potential customers feel as comfortable as possible when making a purchase.
Here are a few ways you can establish trust on your e-commerce site.
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First impressions count
From the moment you walk into a store or load a website, you get an idea of what a brand is all about. Your website needs to be aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate, as your consumers are instantly making judgments about its trustworthiness.
Clear imagery from various angles and informative product descriptions including care, delivery and return information is valued highly. Remember, it only takes 50 milliseconds for a user to form an opinion on your website and first impressions are 94% design related!
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Add Trust Badges & Security Seals
If your business isn’t huge yet, then a challenge that you’ll face is having your consumers be fearful of shopping on your website. Displaying security seals and trust badges is a good way to ease your consumer’s anxiety and reduce the perceived risk.
Things like an “About Us” page or team photos can provide much-needed reassurance to potential customers, as can well-written copy.
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Don’t underestimate high-quality images.
As humans, we tend to be very visual and this can make a difference in what we do and don’t decide to purchase. No matter what your product is, high quality and well thought out photos help to build trust with your audience.
You don’t need all the fancy gear, but you do need to ensure that your photos are clear and high quality. Of course, the more effort that is put into a photo shoot, the more likely you are to sell your product.
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Be likeable
When a consumer can identify similar values within a business, this builds trust. To create likeability, use direct contact through your support channels. Your customer service should be second to none and always be friendly, patient and attentive.
Being likeable also means showing empathy for your current and potential customers. This means understanding what they want and need and providing them with the easiest access to receive it.
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Make your site user-friendly
Usability and accessibility are the foundations of building trust. Your consumers will only trust a system or process that they can understand and use with ease. This means that your website needs to ensure that technical jargon is reduced, and users are offered transparency with things like privacy, prices and policies.
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Show reviews
To gain the trust of your consumers, you need to let them know that you’re good at what you do, or your products are high quality. As mentioned above, consumers put a lot of trust in their peers and fellow shoppers, so its important to showcase the reviews of your previous customers.
Positive consumer reviews, spread over a significant amount of time, are reliable proof of consistency. You can make claims about the wonderful features and benefits of your product, but are customers going to take your word for it? Back up your claims with real reviews from real customers.
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Humanise your brand
Humanising your brand and showing vulnerability is a great way to build a loyal and trustworthy relationship with your consumers. Tone down the technical talk and offer your consumers with real, down to earth language.
Another way to do this is through apps like live chat on your website, where your consumers can have a live conversation with a real person. People look out for familiar human features when building trust in a company, so making your company more human will eventually have you gaining more customer trust.
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Be Consistent
Building any business takes time and earning the trust of your consumers also takes time, which is why it’s crucial to be consistent in your efforts.
Trust takes a long time to establish and very little time to undermine! Make your team away of the joint effort that your company is making to provide the best service possible to your consumers…all the time. One wrong move by any of your team can have a current or potential customer out the door.
Establishing trust on your ecommerce site is crucial, but in today’s world, hard, due to scams and misleading practises. Consumers trust brands that have invested in their design, whether they are conscious of it or not.
With design being the first aspect of your business that your consumer will see, it makes your website feel trustworthy and encourages visitors to stick around. Once your consumers are staying on your website, then its time for your team to shone with making their experience unforgettable.