Earning customer trust is of paramount importance for any company, however, for ecommerce businesses, it’s absolutely crucial. Just how do you go about convincing someone who has never seen you or your products to entrust you with their hard-earned dollars? How do you go about instilling that intangible element of brand confidence into your potential buyers?
1. Offer maximum convenience.
These days, most people are juggling multiple priorities and are experiencing stress levels that are higher than ever before. When consumers order online, they are often sacrificing their ability to see and touch a product before buying in favor of getting it quickly and with few or any hassles.
As an ecommerce store, your mission should be to provide maximum choice and convenience throughout the customer’s shopping journey. Translation: Your website should be clear and clutter-free with a minimum of confusing bells and whistles. Shipping and return policies should be prominently displayed and easy to understand. Your ecommerce payment processing system should have all the modern security features and comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) to ensure the safety of cardholder data. Simply put, do anything you can to get the exact product the customer wants to them as quickly and inexpensively as possible.
2. Only make claims you know you can back up.
Nothing erodes trust faster than a broken promise. Your goal should be to always meet or exceed expectations, never to fall short of them. To that end, be very careful about things like product delivery forecasts and estimated times for backorders to be restocked.
Using your point of sale system (POS) to its full capacity can be invaluable in providing successful customer service. Take advantage of its inventorying tools to record and track each piece of merchandise throughout the trajectory of its journey from supplier to warehouse to your customer’s hands. Armed with this information, you can supply stakeholders with accurate fulfillment quotes that promote realistic expectations and reduce the likelihood of nasty surprises.
3. Embrace automated solutions for efficient order processing.
The automated capabilities of third-party procurement software, as well as those built into modern POS systems, can streamline many aspects of the ordering process and help to foster trust in your brand. There is a great deal of room for human error when people try to manually take over the creation of estimates, sales orders, invoices, and shipping statements. While computers are only as good as the people who program them, they never become fatigued and are not subject to emotions or distraction. The personal touch is invaluable in the human interactions that occur throughout your company every day, but computers reign supreme when it comes to data entry.
4. Focus on personalizing each buyer’s shopping experience.
Even though your online customers may never shake your hand or walk into your physical store, they still crave a customized shopping journey. Fortunately, today’s analytics and communications technology make it possible for you to refine your marketing tools and sales promotions to fit each buyer’s unique preferences and shopping history.
Creating communications that are personalized and friendly without being too pushy or spammy is a highly effective way to establish and cultivate a positive relationship with your online customers regardless of where they live. Keep them engaged by sending informative newsletters and inviting them to participate on your social media pages. This will not only increase conversions but will also help each shopper to feel like a special part of your brand family.
5. Ask for and act on customer feedback.
When shoppers are given a chance to express their opinions on the products they have purchased, as well as on the direction they would like to see your business go in the future, they will feel even more included and engaged. Even if what they have to say might sting a little, be sure to thank them for taking the time to comment. If problems or questions arise, take pains to address them quickly, thoroughly, and even publicly so that others will see your commitment to successful customer service. By the way, it never hurts to provide incentives for feedback, particularly if it comes in the form of positive reviews or testimonials on social media.
Buying goods and services online continues to grow in popularity with each passing year. Therefore, you need to do everything possible to set yourself apart from the growing field of competitors eager to attract the same pool of customers. Make these tips a part of your daily operations and your chances of success will soar!
