It is the holiday season and with it come new challenges – at this time of year, sales are no longer just limited to Thanksgiving, but now include Black Friday deals and Christmas shopping as well. It’s important for businesses to stand out from the crowd.
Online shopping is one of the most popular forms of purchasing during this time of year, so it’s important for you to provide your customers with a stellar experience. You can save them from buying their last-minute gifts this Christmas.
Consumers look for products they are interested in either by visiting the website of the retailer directly or by using a shopping search engine that searches different vendors and displays the availability and pricing at those sites.
EXTRA TIP: You will want to think about a SEO+Google Ads strategy. (We have another blog post that has more details about it)
Today’s topic, however, goes in a different direction in terms of online shopping. Customer trust is the foundation of all successful businesses and sales. In an age where people have so many choices, business owners need to know how they’re doing in terms of customer trust – which is much harder to gauge than just sales numbers.
How do shoppers find themselves trusting a company when they are buying something online? What elements of the business’ website influence whether or to what degree a customer trusts them? Shopping behaviors dictate these experiences and if you’re paying attention to your bottom line there are a few rules to follow:
Hook them from the beginning with your homepage 🖥️
What does the customer want to know: Is this website trustworthy? Can I find what I’m looking for and quickly maneuver it without hassle or worry? Business Goal: A warm and inviting home page greets visitors the first time they go to your online store.
Shoppers are instinctively critical of stores on their first visits, no matter how familiar they may be with the items they are looking to purchase. This is why starting off with your homepage could give customers more confidence.
Provide exceptional customer service 📞
Delivering remarkable customer experiences is something every business should strive to do. Customer Service needs to be ready at all times so that shoppers and existing customers can count on them when they need it most. There are many ways that you can provide an amazing customer service experience.
One method would be to use conversational commerce techniques such as chatbots, giving customers a personalized shopping experience, and having agents available on the phone at all times for emergencies. This will allow them to trust you more because they’ll know that there is always someone there when they need it.
Show customer reviews 📋
Think about adding customer reviews to your product pages, so that consumers can read through reviews and see the value of what you offer. This will also allow them to view testimonials or case studies showing the usefulness of your services.
And don’t forget to list the rating for your business on review platforms. According to BigCommerce, 72% of consumers say positive reviews and testimonials make them trust a business more.
Offer the appropriate payment options 💳
All shoppers have a preference when it comes to paying. That’s why you need to offer the payment methods your customers want to use when they check out. Offering various methods also helps show that you’re a legitimate seller.
Display your Returns Policy and Contact Information 📱
When shopping online, it is difficult to gauge the quality of an item. This means you will need to take a leap of faith when deciding if you want to purchase something or not. By being upfront and honest about your return policy, you are sending out positive trust signals.
Ensure you include your return policy details on the homepage and all respective product/checkout pages to boost conversion rates. Keep it simple with an easy-to-navigate FAQ that explains return policies in a concise manner.
Secure your site 🔒
Customers want to be assured that their credit card and personal information are safe when they’re checking out. Online stores often collect lots of sensitive data during checkout, which has led many people to wonder whether or not all of this data is fully encrypted.
In simple terms, customer trust is a measurement of how new and current customers feel about your company based on product quality, customer service levels, and how they feel interacting with you online. Customer trust is the foundation of every successful brand.
Take advantage of these tips and put them into practice for these months when sales are usually the highest for online businesses. And if you need extra help remember that V12 Marketing offers free consultations to help you reach your goals.
