How to Build Trust in Your eCommerce Operation |
Posted: July 16, 2019 |
It’s a fact. If you operate an eCommerce store, your competition is Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and other huge online outlets. The struggle is real. If you’re offering exclusive products and services, your challenge is different but equally difficult: Instilling enough trust in a customer to get them to give you their money. Either way, customers need to find your eCommerce site reliable. To set yourself apart from the likes of Amazon, you must offer a brand that people want to use—one they believe in and admire. If you’re selling original products, this kind of love and trust is even more necessary. So how do you build faith in your eCommerce store? That’s the million-dollar question. While there’s no one clear path for establishing a sense of trust and integrity, there are some known methods that work well. Here are five of them. A Mobile-Friendly, Modern Website Resources like Wix,SquareSpace and Click Funnels have made it pretty easy to build and promote a website. Customers appreciate good design but that doesn’t matter if you’re an eCommerce store. Aesthetically pleasing or not, customers don’t trust you—even if you’re pushing something they want to buy. They’re not sure you’ll make good on your service promise until they personally receive and verify the goods. Hence, first impressions are a big deal. Potential buyers are turned off by sites that don’t do well on mobile devices, have wording issues, are light on graphics, or appear to be built more than three years ago. Sites with these problems give the impression that the entire operation isn’t well-maintained and lacks professionality. That erodes trust in your ability to service orders. Or worse. It may suggest that your eCommerce site is a sham. Customer Feedback and Social Proof Amazon rocks at social proof. It’s arguable that social proof is why Amazon rocks so hard at eCommerce, too. Back when Amazon was exclusively a bookseller, shoppers could always count on seeing comments and reviews on most, if not all, products. The comments and reviews inspired confidence because it was clearly demonstrated that people were using Amazon and having a good experience (whether the book was garbage or not). Social proof is indeed powerful. Research reveals that nearly 95 percent of buyers read online reviews before making a purchase. Furthermore, 76 percent of consumers are more likely to trust content shared by their peers than content shared by brands. Adding room for buyer comments is a great way to build trust in your store. If your site does not yet have the volume to support a robust customer feedback loop, consider a tool like Proof. This resource shows how many people are viewing your site at any given time to inspire social proof even when customers aren’t actively contributing product reviews. Turnkey Customer Support Any online purchase runs the risk of an issue occurring during shipment. The wrong product may be delivered or it could arrive in a defective or damaged state. A billing dispute could happen too. Buyers want to be confident that their problems will be addressed and rectified should any of these issues arise. A surefire way to build trust and reliability in an eCommerce storefront is to simplify customer support. Your company’s contact information including phone number, email and physical address should be prominently displayed on your site by default. You also should deliver immediate support in the form of multi-channel support (via live chat or social media platforms) so that customers may also ask questions before the sale. A happy, satisfied customer is a loyal customer who refers a friend. According to customer experience research experts, the Temkin Group, 77 percent of customers who have a positive experience with a company would recommend it to a friend. Providing fast, accurate customer service is key to driving high customer satisfaction. A Compelling Company Story A credible eCommerce store is more than just a great website with positive reviews. Building a good reputation is key. Your company’s story and blog posts help potential buyers get to know just who they’re spending their money with. A clear company narrative coupled with a consistent blogging presence creates trust in their buying experience. There’s no need to furnish a wide range of stories. All it takes is a single narrative told repeatedly in different ways. A singular narrative facilitates content creation and reinforces brand identity. A Fair & Appealing Return Policy A clear, unambiguous return policy also inspires trust. Speaking with a customer service representative if there is a problem with an order is always a good start. But giving buyers the ability to return a problematic purchase really eases the burden of trust for an eCommerce site. A no-questions-asked 30-day money back guarantee is nice but unnecessary. What matters most is an uncomplicated, prominent return policy that outlines the return process and what can be expected when an item is returned. Running an eCommerce store requires customer trust. Yes, good product offerings and site design matters—but that’s just the start. To build faith in your site among online shoppers and compete with the big eCommerce players, trust and practice the five aforementioned tips.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|