In any transaction whether business or professional, trust always takes precedence. When shopping online using eCommerce platforms customers need to be assured that their information, especially that relevant to financial aspects is not only safe and confidential with the vendor but also the quality of the product or service that they have purchased, is as advertised if not better.
No matter if you are taking help from a professional eCommerce marketing agency, if a customer or potential client cannot trust you with their orders, information and is hesitating, then not only will you lose out on the sale, but it will damage your reputation in the long run as well.
That is why to help the customer in overcoming their apprehensions, you should invest in developing eCommerce trust marks for your website. These trust marks will not only help in assuring your customer but will also help in creating that bond of trust that is imperative for a productive customer-seller relationship.
What are eCommerce Trust Marks?
Alongside a strong eCommerce marketing strategy, eCommerce trust marks, logos, or signs are paid images of seals that you can display on your website after having passed set criteria laid down by the jury of those trust marks. This criterion revolves around privacy, confidentiality, and security benchmarks. As these trust marks are awarded by reputed independent bodies, having these up on your website helps in building customer trust.
Some free trust marks are also available to put on your website, in relevance to the availability of certain services. We shall discuss both such trust marks and help you make a decision which are the most suitable for your eCommerce platform.
Types of Trust Marks to Use on an eCommerce Website
1. Guaranteed Secure Checkout Mark
2. Accepted Payment Badges
3. Money-Back Guarantee Mark
4. Free Shipping Badge
5. Easy Returns Badge
6. Endorsements by Third Party
1. Guaranteed Secure Checkout Mark
This is the most important type of trust mark or badge that you need to have on your eCommerce website. This indicates how secure your website is from hackers and how confidential information is secured from unauthorized access.
This indicates that a reputable authority has granted a certificate to this website that verifies the security of its connection and how your credit information is encrypted and safe with them. There are many well-known secure payment badges including Cloudflare and McAfee.
2. Accepted Payment Badges
Customers value when you provide them with options especially when it comes to online payments and processing. And when those options are recognized by brands such as Visa or MasterCard, not only does that build trust in your eCommerce site, but also subconsciously help in reducing the customers’ fears when it comes to online financial transactions.
In the screenshot given above, the vendor is not only offering international payment options but is also accepting local financial service providers for receiving payments. Thus, this variety and ease makes it easier for your customer to make payment through a choice of his or her method and also helps in bringing in customer loyalty.
3. Money-Back Guarantee Mark
Offering a money-back guarantee to your customers is one of the biggest satisfaction that you can give to them. Not only does it help build trust, but it also mitigates all the risks associated with online buying.
For example, because of such marks, the customers will not hesitate to buy your product because they know that for some reason if they do not find the quality or the features of the product satisfying or up to par, they can always return it, so at least on paper it seems like a win-win deal.
The best places to place this mark on your website are at the checkout or near the cart icon. The best part about this trust mark badge is that you do not have to get yourself accredited from a third party, rather it’s a free mark that you can put on your platform.
4. Free Shipping Badge
Free shipping is one of the most attractive features that you can offer on your eCommerce platform for your customers. This not only gives them a perception of a reduced price that they must pay for your product or service but they also value the fact such that it’s a free service that you are offering to them despite it costing you.
The best place to place this eCommerce trust mark is on the main page of the website, maybe in the form of a banner and then next to the add to cart option. It’s just like the money-back guarantee mark .This is also free to use and does not require a third-party verification.
5. Easy Returns Badge
Another free badge to put on your eCommerce platform that will build a priceless amount of trust between you and your customer and will give them an incentive to shop from your website.
This mark takes away all the apprehensions that a potential customer might have while shopping from your website. This trust mark guarantees them that if the product is not liked by them or if anything is missing in the shipment due to some human or computing error, they can have it easily returned to the vendor without any extra cost and receive a brand new, complete product from the vendor.
6. Endorsements by Third Party
Getting third-party endorsement badges on your eCommerce website is no doubt a difficult process but the result not only brings in a lot of sales, returning customers but will also create your brand image and add to your brand equity.
The process involves filling in forms, giving interviews, and having your website audited but once you receive one of these badges especially from organizations as reputed as Google, customers will start trusting the reviews on your site and your services.
Bonus actions that will convince your customer…
No doubt that these store trust marks will help in tangible terms when it comes to sales, customer loyalty, and customer retention but there are a ton of factors that a customer keeps in mind and those that impact your customers’ decision when they’re making an eCommerce purchase.
The website layout, ease of drop-down menus, and branding consistency across the website are just some of the factors that silently impact the customers’ buying experience. We just suggest the following actionable items alongside major eCommerce trust marks, as an add-on to increase customer willingness for purchasing from your eCommerce site.
1. One must be transparent about your shipping costs and help your customer in calculating them right down to the final cent.
2. Offer top-notch customer service to your customers. Provide 24/7 online support for tracking orders and learning about order status, refunds, etc.
3. Do not filter your reviews and keep everything real. 100% positive reviews do not seem original and create mistrust. Don’t be afraid to display reviews which are not so positive. This will add to your originality.
4. Make it easier for your customers to reach out to you. Provide a helpline number, give details about your office locations and service centers if any.
5. Try to be as specific about product weights, dimensions and shipping methods to your customers.
Conclusion
Research says that creating an impression on a customer takes the first few seconds only. These eCommerce trust marks and tips will help you create that impression that will lead to increased sales, growth, and a customer-centric reputation in the market. We suggest that you use these tools to reduce the rate of cart abandonment, and increase conversions rate.
