Shopping online isn’t some new fad that’s just picking up steam and it’s certainly not something only Millennials are hip to. Today, everyone is shopping via the web in some fashion. Whether it’s completing a transaction on a company’s site and then heading in store to pick it up or perusing Amazon and never needing to leave the comforts of home to complete a shopping trip. While this is all true, it doesn’t mean the world of ecommerce is an easy one for retailers to navigate.
Consumers have many concerns to also think about when shopping online and the current security threats plaguing internet users further complicates matters.
There are ways though that your online store can thrive even if you’re just getting started. Here are a few ways you can make your ecommerce site more trustworthy for customers.
Have an Excellent Site & User Interface
It goes without saying that a website that looks poor will be received poorly. Sloppy layouts, blatant errors and functionality issues are all red flags to consumers that could keep them from completing a transaction.
As an ecommerce firm, it’s important to put in the effort and invest in a site that’s not only built to be appealing and user friendly, but also that loads quickly and that doesn’t go offline constantly. In addition to leaving a great impression with customers, a great site without glitches and issues can also highlight the quality of your products or services to visitors who land there.
Consumers are already being overly cautious about the businesses they choose to shop and provide financial data to, losing their trust before they’ve had a chance to even add items to their shopping cart can be detrimental to business.
Above and Beyond Customer Experience
When you aren’t at a physical location with staff behind a counter that can greet shoppers with a smile and welcoming attitude, you need to work harder to get achieve positive customer experiences. Strive to deliver service customers will want to share with others. Word of mouth recommendations can go a long way in boosting business. To gain their trust, go above and beyond to show customers you care. Providing around the clock access to your business and prompt responses to their inquiries, regardless of what channel they contact you on, is key.
Offer incentives, display testimonials and ask for reviews. Live chat software makes it possible to connect instantly and offer responses as they come up. This is a great way to form loyal relationships.
Strict Security Measures
You don’t just need a site that’s sleek and inviting. Without trust for financial transactions, you’ll have a hard time landing sales at all. To keep customers from guessing whether or not it’s safe to shop your site, tell them upfront by displaying trust and compliance seals in a visible location on your site.
Gain customer confidence by acknowledging how seriously you take customer information and the measures you’ve taken to protect consumer credit card data.
Dealing in the business of collecting payment information from shoppers also requires that PCI compliance standards are met and that credit card data is protected and secured at all times.
You’ll also want to make the switch to HTTPS for added security if you haven’t yet and ensure your SSL certificates are up to date to keep data between servers and browsers secure.
Maintain Positive Online Presence
Nothing can be more important to a business today, especially those based solely online than their presence on the web. Having a great, easy to use website will surely go a long way but having positive, unbiased third party reviews can go an even further distance to gain trust and increase the likelihood of more purchases. Be sure to monitor reviews, get ahead of any negative feedback and use social media channels to form relationships with customers. You may also want to spotlight other established and trustworthy companies you partner with the prove your credibility.
Sell Products You Can Stand Behind
The name of the game might be lower prices for many online shoppers, but selling just anything can hurt your reputation despite having the best interests in mind. Poor quality goods or those that come damaged from the manufacturer are going to reflect badly on your business. Be sure to partner only with brands you can trust and who share the same dedication to pleasing customers.
Successful big name retailers are able to keep shoppers coming back by keeping a good track record, maintaining a great reputation and growing brand loyalty. For start-ups and smaller online stores just getting started however, the current climate might make it challenging to gain needed trust to get shoppers buying–but it isn’t impossible. Keeping these factors in mind will help you create a ecommerce site consumers get behind. Once they trust you there’s no telling how frequently they’ll come back to buy more.
By: Richard Parker
Richard Parker is a freelance writer and author at TalentCulture.com and Readwrite. He covers industry-specific topics such as Seo, small business solutions, entrepreneurship, content marketing, word Press development & web design. You can connect with him at Linkedin , and Google +.
