Quick Tips for Earning E-Commerce Trust

Here at Dowitcher Designs we’ve helped a number of clients take their businesses online. And from experience I can tell you that one of the most important elements of e-commerce is establishing credibility.

Without credibility, you may as well close up shop. Customers who make purchases online are savvy enough not to share their personal and banking information with a store they can’t trust. Once a customer has had a successful transaction, you can bet they’ll gladly come back. But as a new business, how do you clear the high hurdle of making those first transactions?

Well, you have to earn them. And it won’t be easy, but the good news is that it’s far from impossible. We have a number of best practices we like to implement when we build e-commerce websites for clients. Luckily, I spotted a number of them in this handy “Road Map for a Trustworthy E-Commerce Website” infographic from Kissmetrics, so I thought I’d share them here.

These are some great trust-building elements to include on your website:

• Make sure your product images are large, well-lit, and high-quality. Nothing throws up warning signs at a customer like blurry, amateur shots.
• Share customer testimonials. It helps build confidence to hear from others’ experience.
• Include an easily located, clearly stated Return Policy and other relevant policies.
• Post your BBB (Better Business Bureau) badge, if applicable.
• Create a blog and update it regularly with quality original content to help establish your business as a respected thought leader.
• Include photos of your staff on the About page or in a featured spotlight section to help customers get to know you better.

But trust-building ought to carry though to the check-out process, too:

• Get an SSL certificate — it creates a secure connection to protect customer data transactions.
• State order information as clearly and logically as possible — number of items in the cart, estimated delivery date, and so on.
• List phone numbers and other contact methods in case customers need help or have questions.

Check out the infographic for more suggestions! And one last quick tip: if you’re having trouble reading the text, click for a bigger version.