The rising competition in online businesses emphasizes the importance of trust and customer loyalty.

The benefit of acquiring and sustaining your customer’s trust can drive your company’s profits.  

Though it is not possible to instantly build trust with your E-commerce customers, some practical steps can help establish your customers’ confidence over a while. This will further generate leads and grow your company sales.

The E-commerce business is dependent on the trust of all the parties involved in online transactions. Customers look for legitimate products, and the retailers expect a prompt payment in return. 

The lack of physical verification of a product before purchasing is the primary concern for all E-commerce customers. Also, the fear of losing their financial details (credit card number, account details) to online fraudsters can hinder the choice of online shopping.

Online shopping is trending with people of all ages. Providing a user-friendly experience, displaying the trust certificates and testimonials, and enabling accessibility features on your website are some of the proven ways to build the confidence and loyalty of your customers. 

Below you’ll find more actionable tips and suggestions to reinforce your e-commerce marketing strategy and grow your outreach through building trust and credibility.

8 Proven Ways To Build Trust And Credibility Of The E-commerce Customers

1. Excellent user experience

An exceptional user experience will significantly influence the customer’s mindset. Ensure a seamless process to view and select the products, followed by easy navigation to the checkout page. 

Product images should be quickly downloadable, and transitions from one page to another should be smooth.

Supporting disabled customers by providing alternate mediums to browse your website will enhance your brand image. 

Recurring error messages or too many pop-ups can distract your customer. Consider using an eCommerce chatbot to provide a better experience.

2. Professional website with authentic information

An unorganized website will quickly lose your customer’s interest. Building a professional website with updated and consistent information can easily obtain a good impression. 

Displaying trust certificates on the website and providing your contact details will add to the confidence of your customers. 

The website design should be compatible with various devices like desktops, smartphones, and tablets. A mobile optimization strategy is a must.

You should regularly monitor and remove any dead links or outdated information on your website.

3. Cyber security and trust certificates

A safe shopping experience is mandatory for assuring your customers that you value their privacy and data security. 

Using trust badges like SSL certificates issued by authorized sources will be a great way to build the confidence of your customers. 

For example, for better security and authentication, EV SSL Certificates provide the enhanced trust with the extended validation process of verifying the company details of the website. It adds an extra layer of trust for the customers to transact with your company confidently.  

In addition, we recommend using a VPN connection; this will completely hide the identity and encrypts data to save your e-commerce business from any attack. 

However, a single VPN connection might not be enough for larger businesses that require multiple connections. That’s where a VPN concentrator comes in. 

What a VPN concentrator does is use a specialized networking device that can manage multiple VPN connections and encrypts all data traffic between them. This device ensures secure communication and helps to keep your business data safe from any potential threats.

4. Meet customers’ expectations

Your website should provide detailed product descriptions and reasonable delivery timelines to optimize an E-commerce conversion rate. 

If the photos uploaded on the site indicate the product measurements, then the scale unit should be mentioned. The product specifications should cover all vital parameters of the product. 

Adding videos to describe the working operations can be a great advantage in building confidence in the product. 

Ensure a transparent communication of the product details to meet your customer’s expectations. If the delivered product is not the same as the one depicted on the site, your customer may stop further business with you. In this stage, think about offering freight service to your buyers because it is vital for providing a positive experience.

5. Build credibility by including the ‘About us’ page on your site

Customers want to see the real people behind the virtual marketplace. 

Including the details of your company goals, team members, and quality standards on the ‘About us’ page can help your customers trust your online existence. 

6. Be active on social media 

Social media has become an effective medium for digital marketing and brand building. 

E-commerce customers can connect with your company easily on social media platforms. They can gain confidence by going through customer testimonials and media reviews. 

Engaging your customers on social media by hosting live video events or responding to their feedback will improve your brand image. 

This will also encourage positive electronic word of mouth (eWOM) for your company and builds online trust with the customers.

7. Establish a strategic content marketing

Quality content development can add tremendous value to your brand image by attracting new customers and engaging with existing customers. 

The content requirements should be thoroughly researched to meet the industry gaps. You can claim your domain expertise on the subject by providing consistent and insightful content in articles, blogs, podcasts, or webinars. 

This will improve your credibility and assures a sense of confidence in your brand.

For example, Spark Shipping, a company that sells dropshipping automation software, has an in-depth article about EDI in dropshipping. If you’re new to dropshipping, you’ll want to know what EDI codes are, and Spark Shipping can build authority by writing about this topic.

Not only does this blog post bring dropshippers to their page, but it also builds trust in their audience. It’s also relevant to their brand, meaning they attract warm leads to their products.

8. Be easily reachable for your customers

E-commerce customers trust brands that provide immediate responses over multiple communication channels, including live chats, phone calls, email replies, social media, and even video calls. 

To enhance your customer support capabilities, you can consider leveraging a reliable cloud communication solution. You can explore comparison reviews like RingCentral vs Zoom to understand the benefits of each platform in terms of seamless video calls and comprehensive communication features.

Prompt replies to your customer queries can boost their confidence in your brand. An e-commerce business that supports easy return and exchange policies is always appreciated. 

Efficient schedules are essential for any e-commerce business. With a workforce management platform, you can streamline your operations and ensure proper scheduling of resources. This will not only optimize your business processes but also allow you to respond promptly to customer queries through various modes of communication. By providing easy return and exchange policies, you can further instill trust in your customers and establish your brand as reliable and customer-centric.

Generally, there will be a requirement to return or exchange goods purchased online due to specifications mismatches or damage during transport. A company that resolves such issues diligently will gain the customer’s confidence and boost return business.

Customers are interested in knowing about after-sales support. Companies that support their customers with issue resolutions even after selling the products are always considered trustworthy.

Businesses can offer full customer support via a VoIP service, which has features that keep everyone connected. While Vonage is a popular VoIP platform, these Vonage alternatives like OpenPhone provide more value for your money.

Conclusion

There are several ways to build trust with E-commerce customers. 

Asking for feedback and incorporating them in your next product up-gradation shows that you value your customer’s input. 

Creating loyalty programs and membership privileges can also boost your brand value. 

Owning any product faults and providing suitable solutions will enhance your brand image. 

Encouraging user reviews, sharing useful information, and sticking to quality policies can build trust with your e-commerce customers.

‘Putting your customer first’ should reflect in your policies and communications. A genuine concern for the customer’s requirements will assist in building long-term relationships with your customers. 

Happy customers will spread the word and surely bring in more customers for your business. 

Contact ReVerb to get assistance in creating an authentic E-commerce brand and providing top-notch customer service to build long-lasting trust and loyalty with your online customers!