In 2019 alone there were over 164 million records exposed in data breaches, so it’s no wonder that 73% of consumers in the United States fear identity theft when shopping online.
Unfortunately, this fear turns into lost sales for eCommerce sites. In fact, 17% of US consumers have reported abandoning a shopping cart because they didn’t trust a site with their credit card information.
Amidst the current global crisis, it’s an especially important time to focus on building trust among the influx of new visitors arriving on your site. Before the pandemic, many of these visitors may have been hesitant to shop online, but now have no other choice with the closure of nonessential businesses.
Follow these tips to start building trust on your site and converting more new visitors into customers.
Design for Your Audience
We’ve been told not to judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what your visitors do the first time they visit your site. Ensure every page of your site is designed well so that you make a good first impression no matter which page a visitor enters on.
As a general rule, keep things simple so that it’s easy to find actionable information. Use a contrasting color scheme so that your copy and product images pop. Avoid using fatigue-inducing elements such as blinking banners and pop-ups.
When it comes to copy, adjust the tone to your audience preferences. If your audience is younger, you can experiment with fun, casual writing as long as you’re depicting your product accurately.
When in doubt, enlist the help of a professional designer and always A/B test new design elements.
Ensure Accessibility for all Visitors
At least 15% of people on Earth experience some sort of disability and may not experience your site as you intended it to be experienced. Designing your site to be more accessible will not only help this population but can also help it become voice optimized for the ever-increasing amount of people using smart speakers. Optimizing your site’s accessibility will help to build trust among those who browse the web in alternative ways.
Tell Your Story
Giving your visitors a sense of the real people behind your site helps to build trust. Create an “About Us” page that tells your unique story. Make sure to share how many years you’ve been in business and include photos or videos of your actual employees if possible.
Make Your Contact Information Visible at all Times
When visitors know they are able to get in touch with you, it creates reassurance that they can seek help from you if needed. So make sure your contact information is easy to find. Display your phone number or email address in your site header, footer, and “Contact Us” page. You should also display your physical address if you have one.
Show Off Endorsements
Sharing what others are saying about you helps to build credibility with your visitors. Proudly display any awards your business has received, positive news coverage, and customer testimonials. You can include these on your home page, about page, in your blog, and on social media.
Be Present on Social Media
Having active social media channels gives visitors another avenue to verify your credibility. When visitors see you engaging with your followers, it shows that there are real people behind your brand. Be sure to link to all your social media profiles somewhere on your website–headers and footers are the most common places to do so.
Create your own hashtag to include in your posts and encourage your followers to use it as well. Bring the conversation to your website by embedding your social feed on your home page or product pages. Don’t forget to regularly monitor your social inboxes–you don’t want to miss any messages from customers seeking support.
Eliminate Surprises
Your visitors aren’t looking for any surprises on your site. In fact, the top reason for shopping cart abandonment is that extra costs are too high. Don’t surprise customers at checkout with an order total that’s higher than what they expected–include the final price with shipping and other fees on the shopping cart page. Make sure you also clearly communicate your site’s policies for returns, refunds, and exchanges–include this information on product pages, shopping cart page, and at checkout.
Start a Blog
A blog can be a great tool for building trust and promoting your products at the same time. Show visitors that you’re an expert in your field and share information that’s useful to them. Check out some eCommerce blogs like this sporting goods blog and this eyewear blog to get creative ideas for your own.
Secure your Site with SSL
When asking visitors for sensitive data at checkout or other areas of your site, it’s crucial to encrypt communication from the visitor to your servers. The industry-standard method of encryption is called SSL, or Secure Socket Layers. Visitors will know you’ve secured your site with SSL by the lock symbol that appears in the address bar of most web browsers. In addition to protecting your visitors, SSL can help improve your SEO as well.
Show Your Site is Safe with Trust Badges
Don’t make customers guess whether or not your site is safe, clearly prove it to them with trust badges. There are many different brands of trust badges that verify different security aspects of your site. TrustedSite’s system of trust badges is designed to build trust at each stage of the buyer’s journey and has been proven to increase conversions for many eCommerce sites…
- Burt’s Bees achieved a 4.6% conversion rate lift
- LensDirect.com saw a 7% revenue increase
- Mountain House saw a 26.9% conversion rate lift
Optimizing your site for increased visitor trust will ultimately lead to more conversions, which in uncertain times like these can have a huge impact on your business.
