Internet shopping has become part of our everyday life; even so, trusting online store websites is still an issue for both shoppers and stores.
Use Others
The most effective way to earn online shoppers' trust is to be covered by the media--newspapers, magazines, TV, etc.--but only a handful of businesses are lucky enough to be mentioned by them. (By the way, if you're one of the lucky ones, be sure to prominently display the media's message on your website so that your visitors can see it.) However, most online stores need to be creative in how they promote the safety of their sites to shoppers. For example, you might mention that you sell your products on eBay. Selling products on eBay isn't new, but it shows that your business works with an already-established and trusted online business. This, in turn, helps promote shoppers' trust in your business. Also, if some of your clients are well-known, listing them on your website promotes trust in your business for the same reason.
Use Numbers
A second way that can help you to improve your shoppers' perception of the trustworthiness of your website is to describe your business and demonstrate your achievements using some basic statistics. For example, you might describe your business performance by stating:
- the number of years you've been in business
- the number of satisfied customers you've had to-date
- the number of Facebook "Likes" or Google "+1's"
Why do I recommend this? Shoppers have no way of knowing about your business performance or achievements unless you tell them. Numbers that show that you've been doing business online for a while or that you've had many customers are reassuring: they, show potential customers that you know what you're doing, and that you didn't just start selling online last night.
Use Your "Good Looks"
Last, but not least, the appearance of your website is an important factor in how trustworthy your website appears to your visitors. No matter how much technology itself has advanced, or how great your product might be, many--if not most--people still "judge a book by its cover". More to the point, they'll judge your website by its appearance. I mentioned this in an earlier article 
. In short, make sure your site is appealing to your potential customers.
© January, 2013