How to build trust in your eCommerce brand?
Overview
Once you’ve put in the work to get users onto your website, you need to ensure that they stay and convert. But how exactly do you achieve that? In 2021, establishing customer trust is key to a successful eCommerce website; 75% of customers value trust over trendiness.
Being able to understand your customers and their needs and adapt your business to meet these expectations is key. So, what is it that customers look for in a business when shopping online? Today’s customers are smart and savvy. They will do their research before buying from a brand and place more importance in trust than what’s the ‘next big thing.’ 66% say they would stick with their preferred brand over choosing a new brand that’s more innovative or technologically-advanced.
Establishing trust is something that businesses often overlook and this costs them potential customers and conversions. With online shopping more popular than ever, you need to be able to convince customers that your business is authentic and secure. In this article, we look at the three most effective ways you can establish trust with your customers.
Improving the Customer Experience (CX)
Research from Eptica shows that the top two factors that make customers trust a brand are related to customer experience (CX). According to Epitca, 63% of consumers say a seamless experience throughout makes them trust a brand and 59% require quick, satisfactory customer service.
To improve CX, you should aim to simplify processes and make your site easy to navigate. Streamline your checkout process by limiting the amount of information that customers have to input, so they can checkout as quickly as possible. This is a surefire way to reduce cart abandonment. A simple checkout process will also create a good shopping experience and establish faith in your brand.
Engage with your customers over social media and listen to feedback. Use this feedback to make the customer experience better, from browsing to purchase and delivery.
Make sure your contact information is displayed clearly and be available to your customers. You could also consider having a customer service chatbot for quick fixes. Responding to customer queries will help to break down the barrier between customer and salesperson, making your brand seem more human.
The Importance of Building Relationships
Building a trusting relationship with your customers is more important than ever. There are a few ways that you can begin to build this relationship.
In 2021, you need to provide your customers with more than just a sale. Engage with your customers by creating meaningful content on your blog, in email campaigns or on social media. Your content should be useful and aim to solve their pain points to show that you’re there to assist them, not just to take transactions.
It’s also important that you understand your customers values and align your brand messaging to embody the things that they care about. Whether that’s the environment, mindfulness or female empowerment, make sure that these values are clearly and consistently expressed by your brands.
Customers Will Look for Familiar Trust Seals
According to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, 55% of consumers have customer-oriented concerns, meaning they don’t want brands to misuse their personal data. Trust seals are an effective way of reassuring customers that a website is authentic and any data they enter is secure.
By having certain visible trust seals, the trust that people have for those third parties passes to you. A CXL study showed that the three seals perceived to add the most security are PayPal (63%), Norton (49%) and VeriSign (48%).
41.8% of customers say that digital and mobile wallets such as PayPal and Apple Pay are their preferred e-commerce payment method. If your site uses recognizable payment methods such as Visa, PayPal, Google or Apple Pay, signpost this by displaying their logos on your website. This will help you to acquire the trust of these well-known brands.
As well as payment methods, you should also display any security certifications you have such as Norton, Symantec and TRUSTe. This indicates clearly that information users submit will be encrypted and your online shop complies with regulations.
Author: Jean Michel, Chief Technology Officer, Total Processing
