With the growing number of frauds & unethical activities that several bad eCommerce companies practice, it has become more difficult than ever for customers to trust any eCommerce business, especially new ones.
Even many companies that are ethical in their operations and sell great quality products are also suffering because of the bad impact that a few fraudulent companies are leaving.
Now, given that you do have an excellent eCommerce website, great products, good operations in the process, and above all intended to deal fairly, what you should do to gain the trust of your potential customers?
In this blog post, I am going to share the 9 best ways that can help you to differentiate your business from other businesses and build trust among your potential buyers.
#1 Have a great eCommerce web design
Since your eCommerce store becomes the face of your company, it’s imperative that the look and feel of your website should be professional. We also know the fact that the first impression is the last impression. The same applies to your websites too. If your eCommerce website is able to attract users the first time, they would always love to come back to your website whenever they seek the information or products that your website offers.
So, the design of your eCommerce website must be great!
#2 Upload high-quality product images
This point doesn’t need much clarification and it’s as simple to understand as when a customer goes to a shop and is reluctant to buy defected or damaged product.
Having low-resolution images in an online store is equivalent to selling damaged products at a shop. Why? Because customers have a tendency to believe that what they see is what they get. Therefore product image quality plays a vital role in gaining trust from potential buyers.
#3 Certified seals
Another factor that helps gain trust among potential buyers is the display of certified seals. By getting certified seals from the organizations like VeriSign, McAfee, and TRUSTe and installing their icons on your website, customers will have extra reason to believe that your business is legitimate and reputable.
#4 Contact information
This is pretty simple and logical to understand but surprisingly many eCommerce websites still fail to mention their contact details on the prominent areas of their websites like the contact page or website footer. By not displaying the contact details of your company on your website, you are simply asking your customers to pay a company that is completely untraceable. Who, in this world of business can trust any business blindly?
You may be thinking that none of the eCommerce websites would make this mistake, but believe me, I have come across several online stores that don’t display their contact information. Instead, they simply show a form and expect their customers to trust them.
#5 Clear return policy
Believe it or not, customers are always worried about what will happen if they don’t like the product or the product is not in the proper condition or the product is not suitable for them. If you help them to resolve their concern, they are all yours.
By clearly mentioning the return policies of your company, you gain a high level of trust from your customers and in return, they are always comfortable buying from your website.
#6 Customer Care
Now, this is a no-brainer tip. Take any reputable eCommerce website and you will definitely find ways to reach their customer care department. Even small eCommerce businesses also have a separate email or/and phone number so that their customers always get the best after-sale service. The more reachable your company is to your customers, the more trust your business gain from them.
For most online buyers, their main concern is not choosing a product or making payment against their desired product, but they are more worried about after-sale services.
In case they don’t receive the bought items in due time or if they received the products in damaged condition, whom shall they contact? In other words, show your customers that you will provide them with excellent services even after they buy your products.
#7 Money-back guarantee
Not many eCommerce websites offer a money-back guarantee but those who do, know how good it is for increasing the conversion rate. In this world of stiff competition where customers are scared of the frauds that some of the eCommerce businesses do, if you provide them with excellent after-sale service and assurance of money back, do you think there is any chance that you will not get more loyal customers and increased business?
#8 Secured checkout
Why do many eCommerce websites face high order abandonment rate? One of the important reasons is that they don’t provide their customers with a secured checkout process. In other words, the whole checkout process goes without any secured layer on the server which makes the customers reluctant to share their confidential information like IC, credit/debit card, or bank account details.
Do you know the cost to activate SSL on any shared server is less than $100 per annum? Don’t you think if this small investment can help your eCommerce website to gain the trust of your potential buyers, it’s really worth it?
#9 Testimonials
No matter how good you talk about your products, your potential customers always want to hear your products’ reviews from your existing or past customers. Do take an opportunity to ask the feedback about the quality of your products and service from your existing customers and display them as testimonials on your website.
Conclusion:
For eCommerce companies, especially startups, it takes time to build trust however by following the above tips, you can definitely reduce this timeframe and start getting loyal customers and increasing sales.
