Trust is among the top three important factors, along with price and stock that buyers consider before they finalize a purchase. If you have an online store that gets considerable traffic but has not made a sale yet, the trustworthiness of your website may be the culprit.
PwC research says, 43% of consumers name trust as an important factor when choosing a brand, falling only behind the price.
To understand this better, put yourself in the customers’ shoes. You weigh all the pros and cons before you spend your money. You will not put in your card details on a website that looks dubiou and doesn’t have established credibility in the market.
Here are 9 important tactics you can use to gain customer trust and increase sales.
1. Website design
To start your eCommerce business, the first thing you need is a website. To generate an income from that website the website needs to be top-notch.
If you are at zero sales and the wait to kickstart your earnings is on, take a closer look at your website design.
Research says that quality website design increases the rate of conversions by 30%.
According to this 2018 research by Google, 53% of mobile users leave a site that takes longer than three seconds to load.
People often leave web pages in 10-20 seconds. You have to catch their attention in those few seconds. Your website should be quick to load. Users do not have the patience to wait more than a few seconds for a page to load.
“A 1-second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.”
– Neil Patel
Create an attractive website design and use interactive features. Give users an option to save their preferences and encourage them to rate your website before they leave.
Planning an eCommerce website? Read more.
2. Product description and images
Customers who visit your website looking for certain products, first see the product image and read the product description.
In the absence of the ‘touch and feel’ factor of a physical store and a tangible product, the pictures and the description are what guide customers to make a purchase.
Shoddy or no images will discourage potential buyers. Upload high-resolution product images from various angles. Give a detailed and true description of your products. Include correct dimensions so that the customer can visualise exactly what the product will look like.
“A mismatch between the product information and the real product is a betrayal of the customer’s trust.”
A good Product Catalog is one of the key factors to build trust with potential customers.
A study done by Shotfarm backs this up with the fact that the customer’s decision to make a purchase is more influenced by the detailed description than by the reviews and price.
Stumped on what products to sell? Hers are some products for your online store.
3. Being human 
Crisp website design does draw attention to your website initially when you start an eCommerce business. What helps to grow the eCommerce business are various other factors that show consumers that you are not all talk. One of them is to build a strong connection between consumers and your brand.
“An impactful way to connect with your prospects is to make them feel the human side of your business. “
The best place to do this is the About Us page of the website. This is a space to tell your story as an entrepreneur and how you started your brand.
Also, this is the right platform to show how you feel about social responsibilities. If your business is involved in philanthropy, tell your prospects about it. Let them know that a part of the profits from your online eCommerce store is given back to society.
Apart from the website, use social media to add a human face to your brand. Interactive posts, pictures from your workplace, etc. show the people working behind the brand. It is a proven strategy to build trust among your prospects.
4. Chat, connect
An impactful way to connect with your customers is through Live Chat. Customers find it a very effective means of communication. Live chat is considered the most trusted way of communication between the buyer and seller.
According to Superoffice, more than 41% of customers expect a live chat on websites. For customers, who use mobile devices, this number is as high as 50%. Instant communication through live chat is a great customer service tool. The problem resolution rate with live chat is also pretty high.
As compared to 41%, only 23% of customers prefer email, 16% like social media or forums as a means to contact sellers.
Be open to communicating with your customers. If there is a query that cannot be addressed through live chat, make sure you respond to that query at the earliest. Use effective communication to build trust between you and your prospects.
5. Content
To effectively sell your products online, content is the king. Content that engages, builds trust.
Create useful content. It need not be promotional all the time. In fact, content that is educational and informative about your industry will attract more readers, and bring more traffic to your online eCommerce store.
The Content Marketing Institute 2018 research found out that 96% of the top-performing B2B marketers and 81% of B2C marketers say that they have used content to build trust with their audience and their audience consider them as a trusted resource.
So, focus on content that is unique, customer-centric and highlights your expertise.
6. Security
Cybersecurity is a matter that concerns all online buyers. And as a seller, you build a strong foundation, if you address these concerns.
Find security certificates that hold relevance in your field of products and flaunt them on your website. The fact that you think about these issues and take steps to resolve cybersecurity problems doesn’t just show sensitivity towards your customers but also serves you well.
Use the most secure payment methods and do not forget to put one-liners like, “100% secure” at the time of check out. A first-time customer looks for such indications to trust the seller. Secure your website and your customers’ data by being compliant and running security audits frequently.
7. Return policy
Most eCommerce websites have a 30 days free return policy as this is a big incentive for customers to buy. The less complicated the return policy, the more comfortable your customer will be.
In an era of “No Questions Asked” return policies, you need to have a competitive edge over other players in the market. Do not have any hidden clauses. Make your return policy clear and hassle-free. Highlight it on the website. Process returns and refunds quickly.
8. Rewards
The first thing that comes to the mind of prospective buyers when they look at rewards and loyalty program offers is that the seller is here to stay.
A good reward strategy can help your sales numbers take off. Offer first-time buyers a discount or a ‘first purchase advantage’. Offer discounts or deals like free shipping upon collecting reward points. Have a strong loyalty program to encourage repeat customers.
Sometimes, getting creative with rewards speaks differently about your brand. For example, Staples offers $2 per cartridge back as a reward in their cartridge recycling program. Used cartridges are considered as environmental threats.
Such reward programs not only speak volumes about your concerns towards social and environmental issues but also, establishes the trust of the customers towards your brand.
Read this if you sell office supplies online.
9. FAQs
For many users the FAQs page of a website is generally the second page they visit after the home page. This section is quite integral for visitors who want to know more about your business. Make sure that the content of the FAQs answers almost all the common queries that a visitor can have.
The FAQ page reflects how clear you are about the product and services you offer. There are a lot of marketing tools to understand the needs of your customers. Use these tools to create a high-quality FAQ page. Often underestimated, an FAQ page can play an important role to convert prospects into buyers.
Conclusion
Customers today have multiple choices. What brings them to your business is the trust that you establish with them.
Zig Ziglar, the American author, salesperson, and motivational speaker once said, “ If people like you, they’ll listen to you. If they trust you they’ll do business with you.”
Invest in these trust-building techniques and create a long-lasting relationship with your customers. Create a brand that is trustworthy and your business will take off.
