There are an estimated 24 million eCommerce websites across the globe with more adding to the list every day. In such a populated market, one differentiating factor that can drive more sales is consumer trust. According to a study by buySAFE, about 81% of online shoppers feel hesitant while shopping on a website with which they are not much familiar.
If you don’t have much familiarity yet, you must be cautious. Only investing in eCommerce website development is not enough. Remember, the first step to drive sales is to inspire confidence among the visitors. Here are some actionable insights for developing trust in your e-store.
Trust Signals to Implement in Your Online Store
- Security Certificate & Trust Badges
A report released by the National Retail Federation outlines that online-only sales have accounted for approximately 30.2% of the frauds. This further stresses the importance of security certificates and trust seals.
To build trust, you need an SSL certificate but choose wisely when you think of website security. There are multiple types of SSL and which one is ideal for your website depends upon the website structure. Let’s say, an eCommerce website runs on multiple subdomains then a low price or cheap wildcard SSL can do a great job in securing unlimited or multiple subdomains. It not only secures data but ensures visitors about website authenticity.
Site security is the most crucial concern in an eCommerce website as it handles sensitive data like the shoppers’ credit/debit card details, address, password, etc. Implementing popular security and trust badges greatly instills trust among the visitors. In fact, after conducting A/B testing, Shoe Mart found that integrating a trust badge has generated a 14% lift in conversion! Make sure that the trust badges link back to the providers’ websites to prove their authenticity.
Here are some of the globally popular security and trust seals that you may feature on your site:
- McAfee, Norton, or Sucuri badges indicate that the site is protected and there’s no threat of malware or Trojans.
- D&B D-U-N-S registered seal enhances business credibility and transparency and in turn, helps to win more business opportunities.
- Third-party endorsement badges like Better Business Bureau Accredited Business and Google Customer Review badges signal to people that yours is an established and trustworthy business that operates with excellence and integrity.
- Familiar payment badges like PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express etc. generate a feeling of confidence.
Also, dedicate a section for privacy policy to outline which information you collect from the customers. It will make them more confident to interact with your site.
- High-Resolution Images
If an eCommerce website displays images that look unclear and mundane, visitors may question the professionalism of your business and also doubt the quality of the products. Therefore, pay attention to use crisp and high-resolution images to evoke a polished look on your site.
Further, high-quality & attractive images instantly catch the visitors’ attention and evoke a desire among them to own it. Therefore, if you want to increase sales at your e-store, including stunning product images can do some wonder!
- Detailed Product Description
As we just mentioned, featuring excellent product images is important to attract potential customers. And elaborating all the details in the product description is crucial to driving the shoppers’ trust. An image of a Bluetooth speaker won’t convey if it is compatible with a specific smartphone. A picture of an outfit won’t reveal if it fits someone with XXL size. Product descriptions fill these gaps and outline the key features and details of the product.
We recommend you to use short points or bullets in the product description to ensure easy readability. Also, mention the estimated delivery time of the product in the description.
Further, you may include an FAQ section in the product description to address some common queries. For instance, does a mobile phone have a fingerprint sensor? Is a USB charging cable compatible with a specific smartphone? Does an outfit require dry cleaning? Help your potential customers to find relevant information about your product.
- Customer Ratings & Reviews
No matter how great your product image looks or description reads, a first-time customer may not be convinced with these only. Featuring customer ratings and reviews suggests your trustworthiness. People can check if your customers are recommending the product and it plays a crucial role in a purchase decision.
Make sure to add both positive and negative reviews, low and high ratings in order to look authentic. Only positive reviews and 5-star ratings may seem to be fake.
- Clearly Outline Return and Exchange Policy
Since the potential buyers cannot examine the product in person, their biggest fear is that the purchase won’t meet their expectations. Clearly mentioning the return policy will help to eliminate their fear of buying a product they have not inspected physically.
Instead of including the policies on the FAQ page, it’s a good idea to feature them right below the product and on the home page. Remember, it is not only a trust signal but also a USP. Flaunt it well!
- Contact Details
Missing contact information on an eCommerce website is often considered to be a sign of fraud. Make sure that your contact information is readily available and people can get in touch with you. You can feature it on the header or footer section of your site. Many websites have a dedicated contact page that includes phone number, email address, and the location of the physical store.
Including a live chat is a great way to help customers instantly get in touch with you. You can also add a click-to-call button to enhance the user experience of the traffic coming from mobile devices.
- Enhance User Experience with Variety of Features
With the advancement in technology, there are different features that you can add to enhance the user experience on your e-store and earn their trust. For instance, Lenskart allows the users to virtually wear different spectacles to check which one suits them the most. Revelry offers a home try-on service so that the buyers can be certain of the quality and appearance of the outfits they are buying. Many websites, these days, present a product from different angles to give a proper vision of the item.
You can try any of these and more. For example, if you have an online store on Shopify, you can use an App named Tada which allows your visitors to play a fun, engaging game to win a discount in exchange for their email address. Adding Tada’s Gamified and full-screen pop-ups to your eCommerce store will help you increase subscribers by 500% and sales by 135% instantly. Tada has also been proven successful in reducing shopping cart abandonment. On a separate yet relevant note, here’s a blog on how to personalize user experience on your e-store. Check it out.
Not sure how to integrate such advanced features? Seeking assistance from the professionals of a trusted website design company will be a good idea.
- Don’t Push It
The urge of selling your products with pop-ups and flashy banners is quite natural. However, such marketing gimmicks only evoke suspicion and frustrate the visitors. Advertisement sprouts the maximum results when done in a minimal way. Therefore, don’t block the shoppers’ view with too many pop-up ads.
- Order Status Tracking
Say, a shopper has purchased an item from your e-store and it is supposed to be delivered within 10 days. The buyer would like to track the item all through the journey. Integrating a user-friendly feature like order status tracking reassures the buyers that their product is on its way and will be delivered shortly. It keeps them excited. Therefore, make sure to integrate such a feature into your e-store. You can also make use of an SMS short code that automatically sends customers delivery updates for their orders.
If you are not sure how to integrate such user-engaging features, engaging a trusted eCommerce website design company is a good idea. The professionals will equip your e-store with advanced features.
Way Forward
The success of an e-store depends on the trust it inspires among the visitors. The above-mentioned features should be integral to your eCommerce website. Pay attention to these and earn your potential consumers’ trust.
