With more and more people turning to online shopping, eCommerce can be a lucrative business opportunity – and having an eCommerce business can be a great way to earn an income.
Although marketing is an integral part of running any successful online business, for your e-commerce business to be successful, you also need to gain the trust of your customers. Nobody is going to hand over their credit card details to a site that doesn’t look credible, but how do you convince your potential customers that you are trustworthy?
Many online consumers today are aware of the potential for online scams and fraud. Reassuring them that you are reputable can make the difference between making a successful sale or not, so it is important that you have that high on your priority list.
Here are a few simple things you can do to ensure your customers feel comfortable purchasing from your site:
1. Make sure your site is secure
Use a secure payment gateway, such as secure pay or egateway, to process credit card payments. Payment encryption protects customers’ credit card information, and helps them feel more secure. Make sure you display a clear indication that your site is secure, like the closed lock symbol, so customers can easily see they are protected.
2. Make reviews, comments and feedback generally visible
Reading positive (and negative) reviews about your business and products can help reassure customers that you are genuine, have quality goods and services, and are not about to scam them. Don’t worry if you get the occasional negative review – as long as you demonstrate that you are committed to resolving the issue, this will not necessarily be detrimental to your business.
3. Provide a clear refund and returns policy
Make sure your potential customers know that you are committed to providing the highest possible quality of service, and that they can return products if they are faulty is very important.
4. Make sure your contact details are visible
This includes a phone number, email address and a postal address, and not just an email contact form. Being easily contactable and open with your details makes it appear that you are trustworthy, and have nothing to hide. If you are easily traceable, customers think it is less likely that you will take their money, and hide behind an anonymous form if something goes wrong.
Marketing plays a key part in building your reputation as a trustworthy and honest e-commerce business. Reinforce your marketing message by making sure your security and encryption software is up to date, and that you provide consistent and reliable customer service. The best thing you can do to enhance your reputation and help engender trust is to become a well-known site – if you can build your brand around quality and integrity, your reputation will start to speak for itself, and you can more readily benefit from repeat business and customer loyalty.
