Most people who visit ecommerce websites quickly move on to another website, because it didn’t look credible enough. A pressing problem of ecommerce website owners is to make visitors stay on the web page for a longer time, preferably till the time of checkout. Unfortunately, just having a great inventory of products is not enough to boost one’s credibility. People are increasingly worried about not just the quality of products they may purchase online, but also the authenticity and credibility of the seller themselves.
There are a number of things that go into making an ecommerce website look credible and trustworthy. For this reason, it is important to follow certain standard guidelines in order to boost an ecommerce website’s credibility.
Use a Smart CMS theme
One of the main reasons why ecommerce websites do not evoke feelings of trust or credibility is because they do not look very credible. They are often cluttered with unnecessary images and advertisements, the design is outdated or plain weird, information is not easily accessible, and most importantly, the website may not load quickly. Websites that have an excellent user interface and user experience seem more credible to users. For this reason, you should focus on getting yourself a good Magento-based ecommerce theme that can help you to display your products on a clean website with an attractive UI/UX. There are other content management system (CMS) alternatives to Magento as well. Speak to a web design agency if you need help, or purchase one of the many great premium ecommerce CMS themes available online.
Display Security Certificates
Many people are worried about how secure a website is, and may often feel intimidated to share their card details during checkout. To make sure people do not abandon their shopping carts, you should ensure that you display all your certified trust seals proudly. It could be Norton, an SSL certificate, encryption standards, VeriSign Secured badge, or one of the many other seals and badges that help build visitor confidence.
Make Checkout Easy
A number of ecommerce websites collect information that is not really necessary during checkout. If checkout process is slow or tedious, people are going to abandon their carts. Moreover, when checkout process is not smooth, it affects your website’s credibility for there is more time to worry about security, seals, etc. Try to display the right seals during checkout process and collect only minimum information so that customers can quickly sail through the checkout page.
Get Rid of Unnecessary Pop-ups and Clutter
Unfortunately, pop-ups are still popular on many ecommerce websites for some reason. It is often suggested that the moment a pop-up appears, many visitors simply close the tab and move to the next website. People simply do not think a website that is replete with pop-ups is credible. Make sure that you get rid of all the pop-ads, information banners, and other such annoyances before they drive away your customers.
Display Contact Details Prominently
For some reason, many ecommerce companies only mention their email addresses and avoid displaying their telephone numbers on their websites. Not displaying a business telephone number can seriously harm your credibility, as people feel more confident to make purchases on a website that displays a local number. At Abby Connect, we provide both local and toll-free numbers for customers that do not have a business phone.
Offer Support and Keep Policies Transparent
Make your policies transparent and display them prominently on your website. You should explicitly state your after-sales policy, returns, support levels, and other such information clearly so that visitors have no questions lingering in their mind. Having a good FAQ (frequently asked questions) page is a great way to make policies seem more accessible.
Avoid legalese and jargon, and do not print lengthy policy statements that nobody is going to read. Hire a great content writer so that policies are explained in an easy-to-understand manner, preferably on an FAQ page. Provide both text and call support, as there are many people who are comfortable with only kind of support and not the other. Abby Connect offers virtual receptionist service that includes handling support calls, text support, and more.
Focus on Social Media and Content
If you do not already have a social media presence, it is time to start getting those social conversations flowing. Hire an agency or even a freelancer to maintain your social media pages, and blog consistently. A good content marketing strategy is known to enhance the credibility of ecommerce websites.
