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eCommerce

The "Trust Barrier" and your online shop

The importance of Customer Confidence in eCommerce

A recent article about eCommerce in Jersey (published by the Jersey Evening Post) has brought various issues surrounding setting up and running your own online shop to the forefront, and we have had a number of general enquiries from prospective customers since.

One of the key points raised in said article seemed to suggest that "Simple is best" in terms of eCommerce websites, and that useability is far more important than innovation. This is something which is raised quite often - and many examples are cited, typically the larger eShops - Amazon, Play.com and a few others to boot.

For new eRetailers, this is misinformation to some extent, as it implies that simplicity is the reason these sites work so well, and that their ongoing success is primarily due to the websites, rather than the businesses themselves. There is truth in this, however, another issue is often overlooked - and can lead to frustration for first-time eCommerce shop owners.

Why aren't people buying from my online shop?

If only there were a simple answer to this question, we would all be rich! In reality there are a myriad of complex, intertwined issues involved, but the one we are discussing here is simply: Trust.

A constant barrage of media information tells us how careful we must be when shopping online - the dangers are very real - credit card fraud, identity theft, faulty/imported/fake goods, and so forth. One of the very first thoughts to go through a potential customer's mind (sometimes subconsciously) is: "Will I be safe if I buy something from this website?"

As an eRetailer, ideally you don't even want them to think about this on a conscious level - you want a site which reassures them that it is safe to place an order, as well as one which entices (and helps) them to do so. Undoubtedly, one of the best ways to do this is to already be an established brand - it is accepted as common knowledge that "Amazon is safe" - they are better known than some high street brands.

For the small or independant retailer, this must be tackled through several different avenues.

What factors can affect consumer confidence?

Focussing purely on customer confidence and building trust, some of the key points to consider are:

Look Professional.. - Good web design, creating a clean site which looks professional - demonstrate that you are a business
..but with Personality - Let your personality and business ethos bleed into your site as well - clean web design does not mean sterile design - injecting elements of your business personality into your site can help to build a relationship with the customer
Prove that you are real.. - Demonstrate to the customer that you are a real, physical business, even though you are selling online. Include contact details - an address and telephone number - as well as an email address. Consider adding images showing your business, or even yourself - if appropriate.
..and that you know what you are doing - Include information which demonstrates that you know about online selling. Some elements are legal requirements (e.g. Company Number if you are a UK Limited Company, Privacy Policy and Data Protection Statement, etc) - others will help to reinforce that you are a real business. For example, information about the history of the business and it's goals, aims and objectives.
Reassure the customer.. - Make sure you have relevant policies available and clearly worded - for example, customers will feel reassured that you have a well stated returns policy - because at the back of their mind, they do not trust you yet, and want to know you will still be there if things go wrong. Include information on secure shopping and how you will protect their information.
..but don't try too hard! - Heavy handed marketing is an immediate trust-breaker. Everybody has been told by their mother (normally) that "if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is" - so don't make anything sound too good to be true! Of course you must advertise your good points, unique features and fantastic special offers, but do not overstate them. Let the product speak for itself, and reinforce this with your offers, testimonials and other elements.

In Conclusion

Although we have only touched on a few key elements here, I hope you can see why we believe customer trust to be so critical, and why we refer to this as the "Trust Barrier" - once a customer has completed a successful, satisfactory transaction, if they return to your shop - they will feel much safer ordering again. One of the difficulties of becoming successful is you must sell to new customers all the time - which means you are always trying to win their trust, as well as their business.

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