Understanding Customer Doubts
What if we viewed customer confusion as something positive. After all, doubts are a sort of opportunity. If you flip your mindset - rather than see it as an obstacle, view it as a sign that the customer is giving your products and services some thought.
And if you can identify their confusion, you can create ways to clear the fog for them. More or less. Some people don't want to spend too much time thinking about their purchases - they want to buy something that they think is seldom 'right' for them. And it's only natural that they have doubts before buying anything.
The truth is, they will always harbour doubts because they're people, not robots. When they're pressed for time, they want to know with certainty that this product or service is worth their time and money. Whether they're online or in your store, they're seeking out the experience - will they have a memorable one. Will they walk away with fond memories of engaging with you.
People these days are rather searching for far more than what meets the eye. Which is why there's a visible tilt toward branding initiatives that are authentic and original rather than mysterious and legendary. So how do you decode what they're seeking from your business.
The way I see it, think about what you look for when you're shopping online or in a store - is there someone there who helps you find the right size and offers to show you styles you'd never think you'd see yourself in. Or is there a pop-up on your screen asking you what you're looking for and helping you instantly find an answer.
As a brand owner, ask yourself: do you think your customers relate to you on social media. When you're honest with them about our journey and what led to the creation of your brand, do they respond positively. Some people might wonder if it's worth the effort. But positive engagement and positive reviews come from customers who feel heard and seen by your brand.
When you address their doubts honestly and openly, they tend to revisit your store more often - both online and offline - because they might not know if you're going to get a fresh batch of new stuff next week.
The Power of Money-Back Guarantees
Have you ever wanted to buy something but felt a slight hesitance, like something was missing. If the answer is yes, then you’re probably not alone. Many people want to make a purchase but feel like they could lose out if it turns out the product or service is somehow subpar. There are just so many risks involved.
Money-back guarantees are important for customers who feel doubts or fears when making a purchase. It’s quite a big deal because it involves the exchange of money. Think about it - why would anybody give you money without getting something in return.
Money-back guarantees take away that anxiety from the customer by allowing them to make payments without fear of not seeing any returns if things go wrong. And this works great for businesses too as it provides evidence of confidence in the product or service being sold and creates accountability. For example, somebody who takes out a service on a contract may be worried about paying upfront in case the business can’t deliver on its promise.
But with a money-back guarantee, this fear could be taken away. People want to buy things from businesses that care about their experience and time. And that’s exactly what money-back guarantees represent as they create strong initial trust.
In addition to being very persuasive, these warranties make businesses seem more reliable, confident and trustworthy as a whole and customers begin to associate feelings of reliability with your brand. And since both parties know what they’re getting into, both people can generally walk away happy in one way or another.
Building Trust with Quality Assurance
Does it seem like those product claims are kind of always too good to be true. It’s not just you. Maybe we’ve all been promised the world and ended up with a shoddy facsimile of what was on the packet - and the disappointment is fairly obvious.
But here’s something else: as a business, it can be quite deflating to make promises about value only for customers to not believe in them. More often than not, what it boils down to is trust. This tends to come in two forms - one where the customer believes in your ability to deliver on your promises, and the other where they’re convinced by your willingness to keep your word.
This is sometimes easier said than done, and if you’re running a small business, being able to stand by your claims is half the battle won. The way I see it, there are lots of ways of doing this but ensuring quality assurance is going to be helpful when you’re still building a brand (or, at least, trying to rebuild customer trust). For businesses that are more established, this will mean building credibility so customers can take one look at your product or service and know what they’re getting is sort of worth their investment. More or less.
Part of this comes down to streamlining processes so there’s less room for error (and delightful surprises), but it also means taking measures such as offering replacements or refunds when customers ask for them. The truth is that quality assurance isn’t just about making sure a product meets standards before it leaves the warehouse. It’s also about going back into those warehouses and making things right even if they didn’t go as planned.
Businesses that acknowledge these rare lapses tend to inspire more confidence in customers who know that even if something goes wrong, it can possibly still be rectified with minimal friction and plenty of empathy. And while refund policies don’t replace other assurance measures like authenticity certificates or third-party reviews, they do make potential buyers feel like making a purchase is worth their time and money - which means businesses get access to more conversions than ever before.
Risk-Free Trials: A Game Changer
Can you trust a product if you’re expected to pay for it before trying it. If you’re a business, risk-free trials might be just the trick you need to get through to your customer. With risk-free trials, potential customers can use your products or services without having to pay for them immediately, letting them get a feel for your brand. If they like what they see, you have yourself a sale.
Even if they don’t, you’ve given your business a chance. Not only are free trials great at winning over customers, but they also help companies collect data about potential customers. This helps them create more meaningful sales pitches.
Getting people to sign up for your service with no guarantee that they’ll buy can seem risky. This is especially true if offering free trials comes with costs. If you’re asking people to take the time and effort out of their day to try your product though, doing it for free will encourage people who may otherwise not even give your brand a shot.
When asked, many successful businesses credit their success to risk-free trials. Not only do they act as an icebreaker for new and hesitant customers but they also help build lasting relationships with these people. Some brands get creative by offering special discounts or perks after the free trial ends. The world’s leading software companies offer extended premium plans and other perks after an initial 7-14 day free trial period too - this ensures more paying customers without making anyone feel forced to do anything they may not want to.
All in all, risk-free trials are an excellent way to go if you want quick results and valuable information about your potential customers. It’s important that you’re mindful of the potential costs associated with giving out freebies though - so choose wisely.
Transparent Return Policies
Ever wondered why the ‘returns and refunds’ section of most fashion stores feels like reading a contract with a life insurance company. It’s enough to make even the savviest shoppers clutch their purse. Maybe it’s just me, but when you try to decipher those chunks of legalese, you end up more confused than before. Transparent return policies should, in theory, be crystal clear.
They're often not, though. A lot of brands think that tucking all the difficult-to-understand jargon at the bottom of a page somewhere gets them off the hook. They don’t want to ‘oversell’ their return policy by making it obvious and easy to find. Which is why customers often walk away feeling like their questions weren’t answered and their concerns weren’t addressed.
Let’s face it - if you think your brand is great and your returns are minimal, wouldn’t you want people to see how honest and customer-friendly you are. You can only really do that by making everything easy to find and read. You don’t want your customers thinking that they’d be on their own if things went wrong.
You also don’t want them thinking that they’d have to fill out a hundred forms or call ten different numbers just to get someone who could maybe help them out. Unless you’re Adidas or Nike or Amazon - where people already know exactly what your policies are - it helps to make things straightforward for yourself and your customer. At the end of the day, even if it means you end up with more returns than you imagined, know that some of those could become exchanges.
Returns aren’t always bad news - being great at processing returns fast could turn a disgruntled customer into one who becomes a loyal follower instead.
Leveraging Testimonials and Reviews
I Reckon can you think of any guarantees or perks as powerful as people’s opinions. Me neither. It’s not much of a surprise that reviews and testimonials have become so important to anyone looking to boost their sales, whether you’re selling clothes, shoes, or accessories.
People go on and on about the power of word-of-mouth marketing. But what’s the deal with it. Well, it all comes down to trust.
Trust is vital in almost any relationship - business or otherwise. Sort of. You know how you can read about how great a business or brand is, but it takes that one friend or family member telling you they love their products to really convince you.
That’s why word-of-mouth and, by extension, testimonials are apparently such strong tools for more sales. There are a few ways I think testimonials and reviews could help your business. One is credibility.
People are more likely to feel comfortable buying your products if others vouch for them too. Reviews are also helpful in helping people identify which of your products would best suit them, which removes some of the doubt around shopping in general. And finally, I find social proof can make people feel like they’re part of an exclusive club where everyone wears this brand and loves it.
It’s fairly simple - all you have to do is typically collect positive reviews from happy customers and feature them on your website and product pages - especially those that tell stories similar to the ones new potential customers may be telling themselves about your products and offers. If I had a little advice for anyone reading this - make sure you respond to reviews too because even if someone didn’t have a great experience with your brand, seeing that you want to make things better could be the difference between making more sales or losing out on potential customers.