SEO Lakeland FL Web Design Lakeland FL3 things you can do to build online trust; build online sales
Statistics show that trust is directly related to sales volume. The more you are trusted, the greater chance you have of closing the sale.
While doing business online is now a daily occurrence, people are careful. Online fraud is a real risk.
You can put 3 simple items on your website to help build trust:
- Warranty information
- Exchange and Refund information, and a
- Privacy Policy
Look at this as a marketing opportunity – a chance to build trust. Read on!
Protecting your customer's information and privacy
Customer privacy protection is a must if your site collects any customer information!
Your legal liability is best determined by the level of damages you could be vulnerable to should that information be released.
The technical tools to protect confidential information collected online are many, and must be applied carefully and in tune with the areas of data collection. We can’t give you a blanket solution – there isn’t one – but there are many companies offering many products to fit your specific needs.
A great source of information is the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) – one of their goals is to build trust on the web and they have great articles on the technologies available.
You should definitely commit time and resources to understanding your exposure if you collect any kind of customer information over the Internet.
Remember, we can help you!
Make it easy…
Warranty claims, exchanges or returns should be just as easy as making the purchase in the first place!
Make this information a feature on your website; don’t hide it away in a link maze! Much like poorly programmed automated phone systems, customers get frustrated by bad navigation and a gazillion clicks. This is info that can close the sale for you, so why would you want to hide it?
And don’t use a bunch of legalese; make the content reader-friendly. That demonstrates openness and honesty.
Give your customer choices on how to contact you. Give them phones numbers, fax numbers, physical addresses, email contact(s) and even an online contact form with the information they need to provide you with laid out for them. Let them know your hours of operation. Some people like to pick up the phone and speak to a real person; some prefer to keep a distance. Cater to all needs.
Warranty Information
Make sure you include details on the warranty of your product or service. If you offer the same warranty for all products, you can publish full details on one page and insert a link to the page within each product description. If the warranty varies from product to product, include the variations at the product description level.
Exchange & Refund Information
Create a page with easy-to-follow steps to exchanges and refunds. Don’t make it a red-tape exercise! If you have exchange/refund limitations, be very clear about them.
Money-back guarantee is a seller! Having a no-questions-asked refund policy is a huge sales point for any online customer, and pretty much standard practice nowadays. Tell your customer how it works. Market your money-back guarantee!
Privacy Statement
In your Privacy Statement, let your customer know what information you gather about them and how you use it. They have the right to know and they have the right to control the information as they see fit – the Supreme Court says they do….
If your site uses cookies, explain how they work. Even collecting email addresses via a newsletter sign-up on your website is private information and a privacy statement by the sign-up box is a great idea.
Whatever technical tools you ultimately implement, market them in your Privacy Statement and with logos throughout your site! A “Secure Shopping Cart” logo is something we are all familiar with. Encryption, Secure Socket Layers (SSL) and firewalls are necessary tools to protect privacy and if you have invested in them, let your customer know!
Include a Waiver! Make sure that you also include a waiver. As stated in Ebay’s Privacy Policy (great reading!), perfect security does not exist on the internet and you can’t guarantee it on your site, either.