Online shoppers are truly spoiled for choice. And they are quite aware of this fact.
After all, there are between 12 and 24 million ecommerce websites in 2023. If customers can’t find what they are looking for in your store or are unsatisfied with the prices, shipping options, or returns policy, they know they can just as quickly go elsewhere.
As an online seller, this means you need to up your game. You’ll need to establish yourself as a credible, trustworthy, reliable retailer who cares about your customer’s needs. Here are six tactics for building that trust and leaving a positive, lasting first impression.
Don’t Limit Product Reviews to Your Product Pages
Shoppers are unlikely to purchase a product just because they like it. They will want to know whether it’s worth the price, what they can expect, and how well it will perform. To get all that information, 9 out of 10 customers will read online reviews before they purchase a product. That makes including product reviews on your website incredibly important and a great conversion tactic.
However, you don’t want to wait for a lead to click through to a specific product page before they can see your great reviews. If they are too impatient to keep browsing and only ever see your homepage, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to prove your value.
You can do what most ecommerce brands do — feature some of your products on your homepage. That’s an excellent way to show your more popular items and give leads a taste of what they can expect.
You can also choose to focus specifically on showing your reviews. For example, Dress Forms USA has a clever “Reviews” flyout on its homepage that attracts attention and demonstrates credibility.
Since it’s located above the fold, it’s impossible to miss. (It’s actually sticky, but you won’t know that until you start scrolling down the page.) A subtle but noticeable green also ensures that leads will spot it immediately.
The reviews displayed are also very well organized. You see which product the customer has purchased, their name and location, and the date of the purchase. All of this information sends all the right signals: others have purchased from this brand and have liked their products, so you can rest assured the product you receive will meet your needs too.
Create Information-Heavy Product Pages
While we’re on the subject, let’s look at how to craft product pages that will promote conversions and credibility.
Customers will want concise and easily accessible answers to their questions. They don’t want to have to read your shipping and returns policy elsewhere. They don’t want to read through 500 words of a product description just to determine whether it will meet their needs. What they do want is clear, digestible information that will help them decide whether the item is worth their money or not.
Lush gives a great example of a product page that ticks practically all the right boxes. Let’s break down all the outstanding elements:
- Numerous product images, including some photos of the products in use
- Number of product reviews highlighted just below the product name
- Different product size choices to help ensure that even first-time shoppers overcome their hesitation about making a purchase
- Clearly displayed free shipping option
- Expected delivery times
- Short but detailed product description, clearly highlighting the benefit of using the product and the expected results
- Clear product use directions
- Shipping and returns information — this is especially important, as leads now no longer have to look for this information elsewhere.
- A highlighted customer review
- Tons of user reviews that can be filtered based on various preferences, ensuring customers get to hear from shoppers who have similar skin to theirs
- This page also features a section with images pulled directly from social media, demonstrating the product’s popularity. Even Lush doesn’t feature this element on all their product pages, but it’s great to have when possible.
Try to emulate as many of these elements on your product pages as possible. You will likely only need some of them, but pay special attention to the returns, shipping, shipping costs, and product benefits elements. They will effectively help overcome the most common conversion obstacles.
Interact with Potential Customers on Social Media
Customers will also worry that your brand may not be entirely legitimate. After all, anyone can set up a professional-looking website and take their money. That does not guarantee they will receive the item they’ve ordered.
Establishing an active social media presence is a great way to assuage this fear. Posting on socials will help potential customers connect with your brand and encourage them to trust you.
Different social media platforms give you different interaction opportunities. For starters, reply to every comment you get, especially if it’s a question.
Take a look at ATH Sport and their Instagram profile. They take the time to respond to all their followers, whether it’s just an emoji-filled encouragement or product-related information.
Twitter also provides the opportunity to set up an off-website support channel. This channel is where customers can reach out and get their questions answered. Make good use of this public opportunity to showcase your customer service and your dedication to your customers.
Best Buy, for example, uses just one Twitter account to share company news and chat with customers. On their feed, you will often find support tweets directing followers to their helpline or letting them know when an item will be back in stock.
If you see an exceptionally high number of customer-support-related tweets, you can also set up a dedicated Twitter account to handle the influx. Amazon has one, for example, and it’s always bustling.
You can also use Facebook to interact with your audience. Sure, Facebook is less popular than it used to be. Nonetheless, this social network still enables you to create an informative brand page that customers can use to contact you or get to know you better.
Interaction is, again, crucial, so engage just as you would on any other platform. The least you can do is like the comments you get. No matter how brief, a reply is your best course of action.
The Dollar Shave Club has a decent Facebook presence, and while they don’t see so much interaction from their followers, they take the time to reply and acknowledge them.
Partner with Highly Credible Affiliate Sites
Since your potential customers will often spend a fair amount of time researching the products they’re looking to buy, aim to partner with credible affiliate websites that publish product reviews in your niche.
The credibility of the affiliate website you choose to work with is crucial. Most shoppers understand that some websites will promote practically anything just to get a cut of the profits. They will, however, trust websites with a proven track record that are not afraid to voice their opinions and have demonstrated their expertise by creating high-quality content.
Take a look at the example of Zoma, a mattress brand. They have partnered with Eachnight, a highly respected affiliate website that creates quality long-form content that provides genuine value to their readers. Their guide on the best mattresses of 2023 caters to buyers in the middle stages of a customer’s journey, who already know a bit about the kind of mattress they want but are unsure which brand to choose.
The article has been reviewed by medical experts, lending it an added touch of credibility and proving that the website is a source that people can trust. The post is structured well, informative, and cuts right to the chase without milking time on page or pushing readers to make a purchase.
The page is also regularly updated to include newer products that weren’t on the market at the time of writing the article.
Think of this tactic as more than just a way to drive sales (which it certainly is). Remember that it’s also your chance to be featured by trusted industry outlets whose association will boost your brand’s credibility.
Cater to Your Customer’s Needs
Your customers will also want to feel like you understand their specific needs and what they’re looking for when they come to you. Personalization has been a trend in marketing for a while for a reason. You can never cater to every single one of your customers, but there is a lot you can do to make them feel like you’re speaking directly to them.
Our example this time is ecommerce giant Sephora, which designed a homepage that ticks most of their customers’ boxes. Try to forget that they are a household name in the beauty industry, and note what they’ve done well:
- The header prompts you to log in to get free shipping and enjoy all kinds of perks that come with setting up an account (like wishlists, repeat orders, and personalized recommendations).
- The menu highlights their most popular categories, with a special nod to affordable beauty.
- They showcase a selection of popular and recently arrived items, knowing this is what their customers want to see.
- There is a section highlighting the different offers that are currently available on the site.
- An entire section exists to help you explore the guides and quizzes that offer more personalized and tailored suggestions.
- They also highlight their commitment to diversity and their loyalty system that lets you redeem points to get all kinds of perks.
The key takeaway is how important it is to understand what your customers are looking for and enable them to get there in as few clicks as possible.
Having an easy-to-understand menu, showing your most popular products, and highlighting the key features of your brand will help you significantly boost your credibility.
Highlight the Change You Are Making in the World
82% of customers want to do business with brands that share their values. They won’t mind paying a higher price if they know they are contributing to an important cause.
As a company, it is your task to stand for what you believe in. Make sure you are honest above all else. Pretending to care about a cause will quickly backfire. Instead, carefully define your values and goals and then make them visible with your online presence.
You don’t need to aim to change the world or end global warming single-handedly. If your thing is giving your employees unlimited time off to help them achieve a better work-life balance, make a note of that.
A simple but effective example is Patagonia, an eco-friendly brand committed to reducing carbon emissions and producing outdoor clothing of the highest quality.
When you spot Patagonia online, you can’t miss their values. Their homepage spells out their commitments and ensures you know what you are getting. They tell you what the items are made of, encourage you to repair them, and note that they donate part of their profits to charity.
The same commitment is evident across their social media. Their Instagram is full of images from nature, not all of which feature their products. They don’t prioritize making a sale at the expense of their values, and their core audience understands this. They are willing to pay a premium price for a premium product and the value it brings.
Wrapping Up
All of these six tactics will help you boost the credibility of your website and brand. They will also help you attract and hold on to the attention of your target audience. Don’t forget that you also need to align them with your goals and overarching marketing strategy.
