Increase Customer Trust by Making Your Site a Safe Place to Do Business Online
by Michal Kaul - March 16th, 2010 11:39 am
With identity theft and cyber crime on the rise, many people are uncertain about shopping online. Taking what was once considered the “normal” steps to make a site secure – such as including trust and verification seals, are no longer enough to convince the customer that the site is indeed secure. Fortunately, there are several other steps you can take to boost their online shopping confidence and demonstrate that your site takes their purchase – and their privacy – seriously.
Americans’ Trust in Business Dealings Declines Based on Industry
A 2008 survey by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) found that the amount of trust Americans have in the businesses they deal with every day, has declined an average of 14%.  This study looked at 15 different groups and found that the largest amount of trust had declined with relation to the real estate and automobile industry, while the trust given to health care providers remained the same and cell phone and wireless service trust increased.
As to ways that companies could improve their reputation and gain back their customers’ trust, nearly three-fourths of those surveyed responded that the company should just, “do a better job of delivering on their promises” and nearly that many said that the company should “stand behind their advertising”.  With the instantaneous nature of the web, companies who fail to practice what they preach stand to be uncovered (or discovered!) at lightning speed.
Taking a Stand on Trust Issues
Consider joining an industry group or association that holds its members to a higher standard of ethics and values and displaying this membership prominently on your website. For example, if you have a retail storefront you may want to join the National Retail Federation. Members have access to specialized webinars, sales outlooks and forecasts, government and legal updates and research/marketing surveys. You can find an entire list of associations, groups and memberships at Weddle’s.
Align Yourself with Web-Based and Business Organizations Committed to Safety, Security and Service
Organizations such as the Better Business Bureau, as well as online security services like McAfee and Verisign offer several opportunities to help solidify the reputation and reliability of your website in the eyes of your customers.  These seals enable the customer to click on them and find out instant information about your company’s customer service and how well issues were resolved, as well as whether or not your site uses up-to-date order processing technologies that are private and secured against hackers.
Making Your Customer Feel Comfortable
The bottom line is that your customer must feel comfortable and at ease doing business with you. By decreasing shopping cart abandonment rates, as well as taking steps to streamline the checkout process by offering multiple ways to purchase, you open up several options to put the buyer at ease. Having other common areas such as shipment tracking, privacy policy, refund details and your customer service contact information in plain view can also help break down barriers to placing orders online.
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