Build Trust to Build Business for Your eCommerce Site
Don’t get so caught up in eCommerce strategies designed to optimize product offerings and costs that you overlook the importance of building trust. Even in the online marketplace, customers want to feel comfortable and safe with the providers with which they do business.
The following are some smart strategies to help you build trust and grow your revenue with an eCommerce site.
Tell Them Everything
Some people think honesty means only communicating things that are true. While this is an element of building trust, it is also important to disclose everything pertinent to your customers when they make decisions.
Thorough and accurate product descriptions lead to informed purchase decisions. Clear policies, including shipping costs and returns, help ensure customers won’t run into unexpected hiccups in their experience.
Show a Human Side
Trust is a human quality. Thus, to build it, you have to show a human side in your operation. People don’t develop trust with a domain, website or product; they build trust with humans operating the business.
Integrate some personality and humanity into all facets of your eCommerce site. Speak in “You” language in your product descriptions, social media and marketing communications to establish that you realize you cater to real people. Empathize with the need of customers to get a quality solution, and the challenges they face in implementation.
Offer External Perspectives
Customers are more likely to trust you if they see that peers do. Therefore, you can begin to build trust with new visitors by showing proof of trust with established customers. You can do this through reviews and testimonials.
In addition to online product reviews, let website visitors review and rate your site on a third-party platform like TrustedSite.com. Add useful testimonials to business and product landing pages.
Protect Privacy and Security
In a digital era ripe with privacy and security issues, your customers need to feel safe on your site. Install a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate on your site. Doing so adds a significant layer of security that protects information shared by customers logging in to your site. An SSL certificate also improves your search engine results because Google likes to see that you have one. You can purchase and manage SSL certificates through your Internet Service Provider.
Show off your security badges and privacy pages so your customers can easily identify that you prioritize their online safety.
Think Long-Term Satisfaction
Don’t sacrifice long-term trust and revenue by haggling over small amounts on one-time sales. Make business and service decisions with a mindset focused on the long-term customer experience.
Show customers that you exist to provide solutions to their problems, not just to make money off their purchases.
Conclusion
These are some of the most effective strategies and techniques to help eSellers build trust with customers. Trust is a cornerstone of long-term customer loyalty and optimized revenue. It also serves as a key catalyst in earning reviews in both face-to-face and digital settings, which attracts more visitors that you can convert into satisfied customers!