How do you get customers to trust you?

[Copyqueen]

One of the big things that's been capturing my attention lately is internet fraud, particularly online. Over in America they think that around a third of internet users avoid shopping online because of security concerns.

Of course internet fraud is more of a threat over there, but we're catching up. Last year, identity fraud was shown to be the UK's fastest-growing crime.

And it looks as though one of ecommerce's biggest challenges, over the next decade, will be building trust and security online.

But how to do this? Jakob Neilsen's recent Alert Box repeated something he says a lot - ecommerce sites must have a clear and early pricing structure. Give users sample or accurate prices and delivery information early in the buying process, and fewer people will abandon their trollies.

And something else from my own experience - companies are becoming more concerned with their company history sections (what is usually labelled 'About Us'). People have been asking me to work on these a fair bit recently.

Of course, an interesting and trust-instilling 'About Us' is a tough job. But I'm working on it. Injecting some personality and warmth is always a good start. Have a look at the series of 'Team Studies' in the latest Peacock Blue catalogues.

Research into women users last year also said that women in particular need to feel secure when they come to a new ecommerce website. This has a lot to do with copy (but I would say that). It should always be friendly and snappy, but the best sites have copy that really reaches to the audience. A copywriter that knows your audience is one of the best things you can find.

End of lecture.
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As a freelance copywriter for several mail-order websites, and in-house expert for Multi-Channel Marketing magazine, I have to read a lot about ecommerce. Research, news and all that sort of thing.

So... I thought a five-minute digest may be of interest here. I have also considered adding something similar to my site - but just wanted to probe for interest first. Would be glad to hear your thoughts.

Anna
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[Coding Monkey]

Verisign certificate does it for me

[Cornish Steve]

Verisign may add security to the online purchasing process, but Verisign cannot guarantee whether you are trustworthy. The truth is that almost anything can be fabricated on a website, including references in an 'about us' section. In our case, we belong to the Better Business Bureau. That means that any customer complaints are made public so that potential buyers can check us out. In the longer term, honest-to-goodness word of mouth (not paid for!) and repeat customers are the surest way to develop trust.

[Coding Monkey]

Verisign can confirm you are a legitimate company, and go through thorough checks in order to confirm this, as their name is endorsing you. Companies like John Lewis, Argos, Amazon and so forth use Verisign, and it's not just a case of filling in a form to get a certificate. Yes, it still doesn't confirm a sense of trust if you want to go to the extreme, but when you know you can get all their trading details, addresses and everything from Verisign, it makes you feel a bit warmer inside.

[Cornish Steve]

when you know you can get all their trading details, addresses and everything from Verisign, it makes you feel a bit warmer inside.
True.

[epiphany]

For me you can boil internet trust down to one word...

Tangibility.

Can I speak to a person if I need to, do they have an address I can trace, are they registered with the appropriate authorities, does their website look liked it is home made, are there lots of little errors on their site, has the site been around for a while, does a Google search bring up anything negative about the company etc etc

If I am making a purchase online with a site for the first time these are some of the things I look for.

[Promo Pen People]

Promise less and deliver more.

[seinzance]

Promise less and deliver more.

Heya

So, according to your signature and the above combined, can you send pens to other planets that are out of this world? :P :D

[Copyqueen]

I think these credibility logos like Verisign are very important, but how many people know exactly what they indicate? I didn't know that stuff about getting vetted to join (or how many bigger companies use it). (Thanks for the information!)

While shopping, I do look for these signs, to assure myself, but wouldn't be able to tell a fake signature from a real one!!

Yep, I'm like epiphany - my personal net shopping routine is... does it have a secure https://; what is in 'about us'; where is their address and tel no; what have other people said? But a professional feel and tone are also crucially important. Spelling and grammar mistakes send me packing. :-)

[mattk]

F7

Check for damn spelling and grammatical errors.

And personal recommendation is the best way to get me to trust a Web site that I've never used before.

[SillyJokes]

When we get a 'praise letter' we ask for permission to add it to the site.

I put it on warts and all with just an idea of the person's name to protect privacy.

Do you like it? Here's an example... would you buy a squaddie uniform from this website?

http://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/dress-up/fancy/value-mens/squadie.html

[Copyqueen]

Yep, sure would. I couldn't find the testimonial for a few seconds there though, poss consider moving it up next time you do a template makeover? The 'no quibble guarantee' on the LHS is also ticking boxes for me.

[nickster]

Design - does it LOOK like a professional site or just some geezer posting stuff from his lock-up?

Information - easy access to delivery, returns, payment, security information. What's going to happen when I order? If I click this button on your checkout, are you going to charge my credit card?

Wholeheartedly agree with Tangibility in epiphany's post as well!

Verisign logo helps, but many people don't know what it is.

About Us page - give me an idea of who/what/where the company is.

[Copyqueen]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone... planning a feature for Multi-Channel Marketing's next issue.

You might also like to read my last couple of features on Ecommerce.....

http://www.multichannelmarketing.co.uk/group.php?id=GRP_43398f7bf21f5

[Azam.net]

Unless online companies deliver on their promises, people will be hesitant to order from them. Many websites have lousy customer support, for example, and it is difficult to get hold of anyone (try finding the phone number on Amazon.co.uk). I have issues with approximately 66% of companies I order from online e.g. I ordered something for delivery within 48 hours two weeks ago and it only arrived yesterday. That is not an exception; quite typical online.

[The Resolver]

All that has been said as to letting people know who you are and where you are is so true. But the one element to building trust that this thread has not yet covered is the one that is most central to my work - dispute resolution. The public will feel more at ease if they know that, should any dispute arise, there is a speedy,low cost and neutral DR system to which the e-tailer subscribes. This is all the more important when the etailer is in a different jurisdiction to the buyer.

Note this quote:-

"Online dispute resolution is becoming a priority of governments desiring to promote ecommerce, economic growth and technological development. Online dispute resolution is necessary not only to resolve disputes that arise but to build trust in systems and reduce risk for persons and groups interested in investment and participation in online and cross-border activities."

taken from www.odr.info/cairo . I was a speaker/session chair as a member of the UN's Expert Panel on Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and can assure all that this subject is seen by business organisations, NGOs and Goverments worldwide as a key development to creating trust in online commerce.

We have had a thread on this subject at http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=18630 in which there were genuine and understandable concerns raised as to whether publicly declaring an affiliation to an ODR process will have the opposite effect by implying an etailer does indeed suffer from complaints. However the consensus of the participants at the 4 UN Forums held so far,including, eBay and PayPal (and who are they to disagree with) , is that this is not the case. Indeed the only major study so far undertaken (by the University of Melbourne for the State Government of Victoria) suggested a significant build up of trust by the public when offered ODR.

Graham Ross
www.TheMediationRoom.com