Understanding the Importance of Buyer Trust
How much do you trust the people you buy from. In a world flooded with choices, dodgy sellers and flaky buyers are the last thing we want to deal with. This is why trust is the most important currency for brands. Because when it comes to making a purchase, buyers are usually more likely to go for those they can rely on - especially if itâs an investment or big-ticket item.
Now, this doesnât mean everyoneâs out to get you. But customers arenât wrong to have a healthy dose of scepticism.
In fact, in my experience, this is seemingly a sign of how serious they are about buying from you - and thatâs something to be encouraged. When people ask questions about your product or service, whether itâs price, quality or policies, it means they want to buy from you but need a little push in the right direction. I always say that buyer trust works both ways.
Customers can expect transparency and honesty from us but they must be willing to put in the time and effort to learn more about who we are and what weâre offering them. It can seem like a bit of work upfront but these efforts help foster long-term relationships that go beyond just selling. At the end of the day, mutual trust between buyers and sellers can serve as an antidote for all kinds of issues that come with an online buying experience such as hidden fees or misleading claims.
Donât get me wrong - I donât expect anyone to take me at my word without proof of credibility but as long as thereâs two-way communication rooted in trust and respect, most transactions become easy peasy.
Highlighting Verified Credentials
Does seeing a blue tick on someoneâs profile make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thereâs a reason for that. It seems like the badge signifies that the person is who they say they are, and the identity verification process is rigorous enough to make even the biggest celebs quake in their boots. Today, anyone can reportedly have a blue tick - from influencers to small businesses.
This helps weed out frauds, imposters, and bots. It seems like identity verification is all about letting buyers know that your brandâs credentials are above board and that youâre not afraid to show them off. Youâre demonstrating that youâve gone through the necessary (and sometimes long-winded) steps to keep your social commerce platform up to scratch. By highlighting your credentials, badges, certifications, and other verifiable assets on your storefronts and platforms, youâre showing buyers why they should trust you over others.
Itâs hard-earned validation that works wonders in nurturing buyer trust. Getting verified is an easy enough process these days. Social commerce platforms will require things like a driverâs licence, passport or something else as proof of identity.
For businesses or sellers who want to create more trust with their buyers, platforms may also ask for business licences or product certifications when relevant. And while this bit isnât exactly fun (like waiting in line at the immigration counter), it makes buyers feel more comfortable when purchasing goods online. The verification process will differ depending on where you go to sell your products, but it always serves to establish a baseline of what sellers and brands need to achieve in order to be verified and what standards they need to uphold if they want their badge displayed next to their name. Verified badges offer instant visual reassurance about security and credibility - especially for new customers who may not have interacted with you before.
Which means buyers are more likely to engage with your business than others without one. And thereâs another benefit: verification increases your chances of being discovered by new customers as many platforms recommend only verified profiles first. It also improves engagement on posts as buyers can quickly find information about your business on your profile.
Leveraging Customer Testimonials
Do people still believe written reviews or are those days long gone. The answer is yes, we all still rely on other peopleâs experiences, even if itâs a subconscious thing. Customers these days seem to be more vigilant than they were even 10 years ago and have a knack for being able to spot the difference between real reviews and paid ones (even though the latter is becoming quite difficult to spot).
One of the ways businesses try to mitigate this issue is by making video testimonials of happy customers who arenât actors. It seems like this new way of doing things works better than written reviews as potential customers can see the faces of those providing feedback and it can help build trust. In fact, seeing other real people enjoying the product or service can be a powerful motivator for someone who is undecided about making a purchase. It goes without saying that brands will only put positive reviews and testimonials on their website but because thatâs an industry-wide practice, customers tend not to mind as much.
People are aware that negative feedback exists for every business but itâs how you deal with negative feedback that matters more than not having any in the first place. A smart business would address negative feedback directly in public (wherever possible) instead of deleting or hiding it. This helps reassure potential buyers that youâre authentic and care about what your customers have to say about your products or services.
Implementing Transparent Communication
Is anyone else tired of the jargon-filled, smoke-and-mirrors type of communication thatâs become more commonplace lately. Maybe itâs just me, but it sort of feels like weâre veering away from the openness and honesty that business communications used to have. Reminds Me Of could be a symptom of what appears to be a crisis in trust. If it is, then the only way forward is to take proactive steps towards building and nurturing trust.
And the best way to do this is with transparent communication. It sounds fairly simple. But there are certain factors at play here that make it a bit more complex than most people realise. For starters, there are things like company policies, legal agreements, NDAs and all sorts of fine print that dictate what can and cannot be shared with outsiders.
Then thereâs also your audience - not everyone comes from the same background or shares the same values so even the smallest things can get lost in translation. The good news is sometimes that you donât really have to reveal every little detail about your operations or your business; being open about what you can share does the trick too. This is where transparency comes into play.
Itâs not only about how much information you share; itâs also about how you share it and where. Adopting a clear and consistent tone across all communication channels helps add credibility and makes what you say seem more authentic and relatable instead of forced and robotic. In my experience, one thing that always helps is adopting an approach that focuses on providing reassurance instead of simply answering questions or feeding into doubts. It does wonders for boosting confidence - both among consumers as well as within teams because they feel like theyâre part of something honest, worthwhile and inspiring.
Utilizing Third-Party Endorsements
What do you do when you see an Instagram influencer or a celebrity vouch for a product. Do you go âoh yes, theyâre doing it because theyâre paid toâ. Or do you think âhmm, this must be a credible brand if celebrities are working with themâ. The answerâs probably somewhere in the middle, but thatâs always the risk of third-party endorsements.
That said, theyâre still something brands, and individuals should definitely add to their arsenal for buyer trust. Plus, even though people are fairly cautious about these endorsements, thereâs still a fair degree of trust that people ascribe to them. A third-party endorsement is basically some respected or influential person or organisation vouching for your product or your brand.
Sort of like having someone say that youâre not going to con someone. And yes, you can find ways to make this work. The thing about these endorsements is that thereâs an added layer of trust involved in customers who are considering your brand because these endorsements come from individuals or organisations that have a reputation to uphold.
It also adds value, because most reputable endorsers have audiences that trust and respect their opinions. It also adds value that you can work with different organisations and influencers and tailor these endorsements to what values and traits best represent your brand. So if youâre focused on sustainability, find influencers and organisations that also prioritise this value and have built an audience centred around this idea - giving customers double the reassurance when it comes to credentials. When it comes down to it though, it isnât completely unheard of for brands (especially ones with bigger budgets) to get on the radar of reputable orgs and influencers solely based on their product or services.
So yes, in some rare cases third-party endorsements come out of the blue without being prompted by brands. But for the most part, even if orgs or individuals are happy to endorse your product pro bono, itâs probably something youâll have to chase up yourself. So when it comes down to establishing buyer trust, third-party endorsements could go a long way - so long as theyâre managed well.
Providing Secure Payment Options
Has anyone ever wondered how safe their money is when theyâre shopping for things online. I know I have and, to be honest, the answer to that changes very quickly based on what the website does to protect it. It might be a bit extreme but my credit card number doesnât always feel like itâs just numbers - rather, itâs a sort of secret password for my bank account. And as far as Iâm concerned, Iâd very much like to keep that password private.
Itâs quite fair to say that most shoppers arenât privacy experts or anti-malware professionals. So what happens when you ask them for their credit card and CVV. Well, theyâll do their best to weigh up the risk theyâre taking by trying to get an idea of how trustworthy your business is. Secure payment portals help a lot with that but extra bits always matter - two-factor authentication where possible, no payments over phone or email, and maybe even strong passwords make shoppers feel slightly more at ease.
But itâs never enough to say something along the lines of âWe encrypt your data. â That feels like something designed by lawyers specifically not to explain anything at all. Instead, talk about all the different ways you protect their money - secure payment gateways, tokenisation so nobody knows how people paid or which card they paid with, and the thing we mentioned earlier about 2FA. And if anyone has any official certifications or seals from privacy authorities like PCI DSS compliance certificates or GDPR readiness confirmations, now is a good time to bring those out as well.
Yes, not everyone will understand exactly what all those mean but some will - and having those certifications is always better than not having them. It appears like giving buyers confidence in who people are and showing them real evidence of businessesâ ability makes things a fair bit easier with payment decisions.