How to Build Online Shoppers' Trust
As retail stores closed during the pandemic, the importance of safe online shopping became more significant than ever before. However, many businesses just aren’t giving shoppers the level of trust they expect and need.
If you want consumers to confidently convert, you’ll need your website to feel secure. The level of trust consumers have for your brand can ultimately end up impacting their decision to convert or not. Seventy-five percent of customers actually value trust over trendiness.
Trust Factors Causing Shoppers to Abandon Carts
According to the Baymard Institute, unexpected additional costs during checkout is the No. 1 reason online shoppers will abandon their cart (50 percent). Be transparent about shopping costs throughout the entire buyer's journey. Other reasons that trigger users to abandon their carts include being asked to create an account (28 percent) or the checkout process was just too long or complicated (21 percent).
The Edelman Trust Barometer also states that consumers are concerned about what you're doing with their data. Allowing users to check out as a guest is the most effective way around this. Never ask consumers for information you don’t need; keep it simple.
Consumers not trusting e-commerce websites with their credit card information is also one of the top reasons for cart abandonment (17 percent). As long as you're using a secure payment gateway and display trust seals such as Norton and locked padlocks, you should have no problem with this.
Providing a Positive Experience
Research conducted by Eptica shows there are two factors that encourage consumers to trust a brand; both of these are related to their customer experience. Sixty-three percent of consumers say that a seamless experience makes them trust a brand, and 59 percent need quick and satisfactory customer service. Your website navigation needs to be easy to use and your products must be easy to find. Having well-thought-out and logical categorization is the best way to achieve this. Streamline your checkout process by limiting the amount of information needed at checkout. Always display options such as shipping and payment methods clearly to avoid any confusion.
Social Proof Could Transform Your Business
Social proof is essential for any e-commerce website that wants to drive sales. Trust factors such as customers testimonials and reviews are absolutely invaluable. SurveyMonkey found that 82 percent of people trust the voice of customers over messaging that's pushed by a business. According to SurveyMonkey, “They [consumers] trust recommendations from their friends and family, customer reviews on third-party sites, and testimonials on your brand site — in that order.”
So how do you nail social proof? Choose a trusted review provider such as Trustpilot or Reviews. They're more trusted than testimonials and the reason is very simple. When you add testimonials to your website, it’s easy to display just the good ones. Using a third-party provider offers an added element of transparency, and consumers are wise to this.
When choosing to make an online purchase, a major consideration for most consumers simply comes down to whether they trust the website or not. Data shows time and time again that consumers will buy from brands they trust in. Give consumers everything they need to trust your business and remove barriers.
Provide a positive customer experience and invest in authentic social proofing via third parties. And if anything, ensure you have a simple and secure checkout.
Jean-Michel Soopramanien is chief technology officer at Total Processing, a leading provider of bespoke payment solutions for businesses.
