Ensuring Trust with your Online Store
Now more than ever having the correct features for online purchasing and/ click and collect are essential for the success of your business. With Covid -19 not showing any signs of disappearing soon, and with the normal increase of purchases and people in shopping centres in the lead up to Christmas – ensuring that your online purchasing format is working at optimal efficiency on your ecommerce/website is paramount; particularly as more people seek the safety of shopping online from home. However, not all are keen to do online purchasing. To overcome this negativity, there is a key factor to ensure that a customer's online shopping experience is a pleasurable one – and that is trust. Trust with the retailer, trust that website is safe and secure, and trust that the payment and shipping facilities are reputable and on time.
Creating Trust with the Retailer
It is important that your brand is established throughout the online shopping experience. That the items you are presenting in your online store are conveyed in an appealing way and are available to purchase within a normal upfront time frame. Establishing trust between the retailer and online peruser is essential to converting a sale. Coupons or codes can be helpful for driving an online sale from the cart to the completion of checkout, – as is creating a purchasing experience that is easy for the consumer to navigate.
The Website
A functional and visually appealing website is also of priority when thinking of purchasing online. Customers want a feeling of trust with the retailer and when shopping online – it is the website that creates this sense of trust. Any easy to use website with multiple call to action buttons, the ability to communicate directly with the company and visual images (be that professional photography or video) adds strength to your brand. Ensuring your social media presence is also up to date and reflects the items available on your website also enhances trust and security. People want to know that your web presence and company is legitimate and not easily hackable. A feeling of security is important with measures such as SSL certificates for encryption of data between your server and your customers, reviews from trusted sources and using trusted payment gateways such as eWay, Paypal & Secure Pay for Credit Card security.
Payment and Shipping facilities
Whether you have built in e-commerce transaction ability in your website, links to an online service provider, payment gateway, or having merchant processing facilities with your bank – it is important that the customer feels that whatever the payment transaction – they feel safe and confident in transferring money online. Secure software is paramount as is an easy to follow payment process. Having a good relationship with a transport/shipping company, with the ability to track your parcel's progress is essential to creating a positive and honest relationship with your customer base. Follow up emails on purchase orders, progress of your order, shipping etc. all adds to creating a positive online experience for your customer base.
Unfortunately, the reality of going to the shops and perusing through stores is no longer guaranteed to be a safe place. However scrolling through your phone in the safety and security of your own home for items you wish to purchase for Christmas and beyond is now more commonplace than ever before. Make sure your online presence is fully functional in every way – and a positive experience for your customers. Contact the team at Central Coast Web Design – we deal with ecommerce sites every day and know the ins and outs of ensuring quality, safety and trust with your consumer base.