“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” – Jeff Bezos, CEO, Amazon
Do customers trust your online store?
These days, people are so rushed and impatient – they don’t really want to visit a crowded mall, search for parking and go from store to store to find what they want. As a retailer, there’s no better time to have an online store. Online shopping is a quick and convenient way for your customers to buy your products and services. So providing your customers with that solution is a huge value add.
However, people have experienced issues with online shopping, such as ID theft, faulty merchandise and fake sites. This has made potential customers more cautious when it comes to buying from online stores.
Did you know, technology has the third highest rating for industries where customers feel respected?
This means your customers’ expectations are high. To stand out from other online stores, your customer experience should be is easy and enjoyable. And, most importantly, they should feel safe when they land on your website.
How can I get people to trust my online store?
1. Fix your website
Small errors on your website can repel your customers. Here are a few small issues you can fix on your website:
- Spelling and grammar mistakes
- Broken links
- A cluttered, messy design
- Slow page loading speed
- Poor quality graphics and images
- Confusing content, especially when it comes to prices and the buying procedure
2. Improve your About Us page
Your About Us page can influence your sales. It is often one of the top-visited pages on websites. Customers visit this page to see how legitimate your business is when deciding whether to make a purchase on your website.
The mistake that most companies make is focusing on themselves instead of the customer. While businesses often focus on their achievements, their employees and how great their products and services are, they fail to realise that customers are more concerned about how you can add value to their lives! Therefore, you need to describe your business in a way that shows potential customers how they can benefit from using your products and services.
3. Provide an excellent return policy
If a customer is on the fence about making an online purchase, a great return policy may be what you need to secure their sale.
Not only is a great return policy seen as a sign of excellent customer service, but it also shows your confidence in your product. Go the extra mile to make your customers feel comfortable purchasing your product. You can do this by creating a page that outlines your full return policy – usually, a FAQ page works great in helping customers understand the process. You can also display a badge on your site to highlight money-back guarantees.
4. Use Live Chat on your website
One of the best ways to build trust with potential customers is to make it easy for them to communicate with you. Live Chat is an excellent tool for this.
If customers are unsure about your services, procedures or any other info, they can ask you and get a quick response. You can use Live Chat to chat with your customers in real-time and guide them through the entire sales process.
5. Provide detailed and CORRECT product information
Customers are more likely to buy products they know a lot about. By providing specific information on the product such as weight, measurements, ingredients, materials, warranty, etc., potential customers will feel more comfortable with making a purchase. Quality images and videos are a great way to demonstrate the quality of products.
6. Be easy to contact
Provide contact information on your website and make sure that you answer all calls and respond to queries quickly. Your customers should feel as though they can connect with you instantly.
7. Ask for online reviews
Ask each customer to post an online review of their experience with your brand. This way, others can view the reviews and feel more at ease making a purchase. It also shows that you are confident about your business.
Customers often look at the reviews on platforms such as Facebook, Google’s Business listings and Hellopeter. So, make sure you provide excellent service that your clients can positively rave about to improve your business’s trustworthiness.
8. Make your customers feel secure
Customers are often wary about giving businesses their credit card information. For their safety and peace of mind, you can use security-boosting apps to add additional protection to your website, such as The McAfee Secure Shopify plugin. This plugin helps protect user information and places a badge on your website – a well-known security badge.
You can also offer multiple payment options to suit different preferences. For example, some customers may prefer to use PayFast, which acts as a secure financial gateway. A payment gateway is an e-commerce application that authorizes payments for e-commerce websites. They encrypt personal information, such as credit card numbers, to ensure that information passes securely from the customer to your business.
Contact IEDM Digital Marketing
Our team of digital marketing professionals invest time and effort into making sure you get sales online. Speak to us about your website and we’ll advise you on the best way to get customers to trust your online store.