With more than 4 billion active users, the digital world offers a whole lot of opportunities to business owners. But, it comes with some challenges too. As more and more businesses are entering the digital world, the market is increasingly becoming saturated and competitive, making it very hard for each player to stand out.
Although success in the digital world depends on a variety of factors, just like the traditional business world, if you are to name one factor that is crucial for success in the e-commerce industry, it is customer trust. No matter how amazing your products are, if your audience doesn’t trust you, they will not buy from
you – it’s as simple as this! According to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: In Brands We Trust?, a survey conducted over 16,000 participants from different age groups, genders, incomes, and industries from
eight countries, 81% consumers consider brand trust as the key deciding factor when making a purchase online.
People’s concern and cautiousness when shopping online isn’t a new phenomenon; it has always been there. Being unable to physically visit a company’s store and inspect a product before making the purchase and the lack of direct interaction are some of the key reasons people have always been cautious when shopping online. But, the rising concerns about internet security, due to the prevalence
of scams and data theft cases, have made customers all the more careful.
Since customers now have a huge variety of options, they don’t want to take any risk by buying from a seller they don’t trust.
In such a scenario, e-commerce businesses need to take every possible measure to win audience trust or risk losing a huge percentage of their potential buyers.
How to Win Audience Trust
Winning your audience’s trust isn’t simple, but it isn’t as difficult as it seems. Here are some of the simple but proven ways for businesses to get their potential customers to trust them enough to make a purchase:
• Do not try to deceive your customers by lying or making promises that you can’t deliver. It may work for you in the short run, but it’s only going to damage your reputation and cost your business in the long run. Do not lie or provide misleading information about your products or services or your policies, such as for shipping, return or exchange.
• Focus on providing a great user experience rather than pushing your visitors into buying. While your ultimate goal is to sell and people are there to buy, you should avoid being too salesy. As strange as it may sound, digital buyers don’t like being sold to. Instead, focus on identifying the pain points of your audience and then present your products or services as solutions to their problems. You are more likely to convert people and win their trust if you help them through each step of the buyer’s journey as opposed to pushing them to sales.
• Clearly display trust markers on your website. These include the webs security features you use, partnerships and associations, certifications, and awards. You can also use customer reviews to showcase your reliability to your visitors.
The Final Word
Although there is no single factor that can guarantee success in the digital world, brand trust is one of the key factors that make the most impact. As an online merchant, you need to understand that buyers now have a huge number of options. Hence, they are not willing to compromise or take any risk. If you don’t offer what they are looking for, they will simply buy from someone else. Work to build people’s trust in your brand. It will take time and effort, but the results it offers make it all worth doing.
