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Communicating Trust to Online Customers - Web Usability Part 1

 
Author: Ken Moss
 

< P > < B > W h a t i s T r u s t ? < / B > < / P > < P > O n l i n e t r u s t i s s i m i l a r t o a c o n t r a c t b e t w e e n a r e t a i l e r a n d a c u s t o m e r . T r u s t i s a n e x p e c t a t i o n t h a t g r o w s a s c u s t o m e r s i n t e r a c t w i t h y o u r b r a n d . T h o s e i n t e r a c t i o n s s p a n a r a n g e o f t o u c h p o i n t s i n c l u d i n g p r i n t a n d b r o a d c a s t a d v e r t i s e m e n t s , c a t a l o g s , p r o m o t i o n a l m a i l i n g s , e m p l o y e e c o n t a c t , a s w e l l a s y o u r r e t a i l a n d o n l i n e s t o r e s . E a c h o n e i s e q u a l l y i m p o r t a n t ; e a c h c a n m a k e o r b r e a k t h e t r u s t y o u r c u s t o m e r s a n d o n l i n e v i s i t o r s h a v e o r e x p e c t i n y o u r c o m p a n y . < / P > < P > T r u s t i s i n f a c t w h a t d r i v e s a l l c o m m e r c i a l t r a n s a c t i o n s b e t w e e n a r e t a i l e r a n d c u s t o m e r . W h e n y o u m a k e a p u r c h a s e i n a r e t a i l s t o r e , y o u t a k e i t o n t r u s t t h e p r o d u c t s a r e f i t f o r t h e i r i n t e n d e d p u r p o s e . Y o u t r u s t t h a t i f i t d o e s n o t w o r k , o r i f y o u c h a n g e y o u r m i n d a b o u t t h e p u r c h a s e , t h e r e t a i l e r w i l l a c c e p t t h e r e t u r n e d p r o d u c t . Y o u t r u s t t h a t w h e n y o u r c r e d i t c a r d i s h a n d e d t o a s a l e s a s s o c i a t e , t h e p r o p e r a m o u n t o f m o n e y i s s e c u r e l y t r a n s f e r r e d . T h e s e a r e b a s i c t r u s t e x p e c t a t i o n s c u s t o m e r s h a v e w i t h r e t a i l e s t a b l i s h m e n t s a n d w i t h o n l i n e w e b s i t e s a s w e l l . A n d i f t h a t t r u s t i s b r o k e n , t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p i s v o i d a n d v e r y d i f f i c u l t t o r e b u i l d . < / P > < P > T h e r e a r e m a n y c o m p o n e n t s w h i c h c o n t r i b u t e t o h o w t h e c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e s y o u r b r a n d , a n d t h e l e v e l o f t r u s t p e o p l e h a v e i n y o u r a b i l i t y t o d e l i v e r o n y o u r ' b r a n d p r o m i s e ? . T o b u i l d a n d m a i n t a i n t r u s t o n l i n e , w e b s i t e s , b o t h E c o m m e r c e a n d n o t , m u s t i n c l u d e ? t r u s t e l e m e n t s ? t o c u l t i v a t e a p o s i t i v e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n a c o m p a n y a n d i t s p o t e n t i a l a n d e x i s t i n g c u s t o m e r s . < / P > < P > < B > O n l i n e T r u s t E l e m e n t s < / B > < / P > < P > A c c u r a t e p r o d u c t i n f o r m a t i o n i s c r i t i c a l t o h e l p i n g c o n s u m e r s m a k e i n f o r m e d p u r c h a s i n g d e c i s i o n s . W h e n a p u r c h a s e i s m a d e b a s e d u p o n i n a c c u r a t e i n f o r m a t i o n , w h a t h a p p e n s t o t h a t c u s t o m e r ? s w i l l i n g n e s s t o t r u s t y o u i n t h e f u t u r e ? W h e n t h e i n a c c u r a c y b e c o m e s a p p a r e n t t o t h e c u s t o m e r , w h a t i s t h e c o s t t o c o r r e c t i t ? A t b e s t , t h e p r o d u c t i s r e t u r n e d a n d e x c h a n g e d f o r o n e t h a t f i t s t h e n e e d s o f a c u s t o m e r t h a t i s n o w f r u s t r a t e d a n d d i s t r u s t f u l o f y o u r i n f o r m a t i o n . A t w o r s t , t h e p r o d u c t i s r e t u r n e d a n d y o u ? v e l o s t a c u s t o m e r f o r e v e r . P r o d u c t i n f o r m a t i o n m u s t b e c o n c i s e , r e l e v a n t , w e l l - w r i t t e n a n d p e r s u a s i v e . < / P > < P > < B > U s e r - f r i e n d l i n e s s , a k a U s a b i l i t y < / B > < / P > < P > P e o p l e e x p e c t r e t a i l s a l e s c l e r k s t o b e f r i e n d l y a n d k n o w l e d g e a b l e , a n d t h e p u r c h a s i n g p r o c e s s t o b e p a i n l e s s a n d e f f i c i e n t . C u s t o m e r s b r i n g t h o s e e x p e c t a t i o n s o f a p l e a s a n t s h o p p i n g e x p e r i e n c e w i t h t h e m w h e n v i s i t i n g a w e b s i t e . I f o n l i n e u s e r - f r i e n d l i n e s s s t a n d a r d s f a l l b e l o w c u s t o m e r e x p e c t a t i o n s , y o u r w e b s i t e w i l l l o s e s a l e s d u e t o h i g h e r - t h a n - a v e r a g e w e b s i t e a b a n d o n m e n t . T h r e e m a j o r i s s u e s u s e r s h a v e w i t h w e b s i t e s i s p o o r n a v i g a t i o n , i n e f f e c t i v e s e a r c h f u n c t i o n s a n d l o w q u a l i t y p r o d u c t p h o t o g r a p h s . F i x i n g j u s t t h e s e i s s u e s a l o n e w i l l g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e c o n v e r s i o n r a t i o s . < / P > < P > < B > I t ? s A l l A b o u t Y o u < / B > < / P > < P > O n l i n e s h o p p e r s w a n t t o k n o w w h o t h e y a r e d e a l i n g w i t h . W e b s i t e s m u s t t r y a n d c r e a t e a c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e v i s i t o r a n d c o m p a n y s i m i l a r t o t h e e m p a t h y d e v e l o p e d b e t w e e n a c u s t o m e r a n d t h e s a l e s c l e r k d u r i n g a n i n - s t o r e v i s i t . H e r e ? s a l i s t o f t r u s t e l e m e n t s n e e d e d i n t h e A b o u t U s s e c t i o n t o r e p l i c a t e i n - s t o r e e x p e r i e n c e s o n l i n e : < / P > < P > ? P h o t o g r a p h s o f t h e s t o r e o w n e r o r m a n a g e r , s t a f f a n d b r i c k a n d m o r t a r o p e r a t i o n s < B R > ? C o m p a n y h i s t o r y < B R > ? M a n a g e m e n t b i o g r a p h i e s < B R > ? C o m m u n i t y i n v o l v e m e n t < B R > ? C o r p o r a t e P a r t n e r s a n d S u p p l i e r s < B R > ? P r e s s R e l e a s e s < B R > ? P r o f e s s i o n a l A f f i l i a t i o n s < / P > < P > < B > I t ? s A l l A b o u t T h e m < / B > < / P > < P > U s e r s m u s t u n d e r s t a n d h o w a c o m p a n y c o n d u c t s b u s i n e s s b e f o r e t h e y w i l l c o m m i t t o a p u r c h a s e . W e b s i t e s m u s t p a r a l l e l a n i n - p e r s o n e x p e r i e n c e w i t h i n t h e o n l i n e e n v i r o n m e n t b y v i s i b i l i t y a n d f u n c t i o n a l l y d e m o n s t r a t i n g a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f u s e r s ? e x p e c t a t i o n s . Y o u r o n l i n e c u s t o m e r s w a n t t o k n o w : < / P > < P > ? W h a t a r e t h e r e t u r n a n d r e f u n d p o l i c i e s ? < B R > ? W h a t g u a r a n t e e s , w a r r a n t i e s a n d p r o m i s e s o f s a t i s f a c t i o n a r e c o n n e c t e d t o e a c h p u r c h a s e ? < B R > ? I s t h e w e b s i t e s a f e a n d s e c u r e f o r o n l i n e t r a n s a c t i o n s ? < B R > ? I s t h e r e a t o l l - f r e e p h o n e n u m b e r a n d e m a i l a d d r e s s ? < B R > ? C a n s h e s p e a k w i t h a r e a l p e r s o n ? < B R > ? H o w f a s t w i l l s e r v i c e o r p r o d u c t p r o b l e m s b e a d d r e s s e d a n d s o l v e d ? < B R > ? A n y p r o f e s s i o n a l a c c r e d i t a t i o n s l i k e B B B a n d V e r i s i g n ? < B R > ? W h a t m e t h o d s o f p a y m e n t a r e a v a i l a b l e ? < B R > ? H o w a r e p r o d u c t s s h i p p e d f o r d e l i v e r y ? < / P > < P > < B > K e e p i n g t h e B r a n d P r o m i s e < / B > < / P > < P > B r a n d i n g i s a s i m p o r t a n t t o e s t a b l i s h i n g o n l i n e t r u s t a s f u l f i l l m e n t c a p a b i l i t i e s , c u s t o m e r c a r e , o r s e a r c h f u n c t i o n a l i t y . A l l w e b s i t e e l e m e n t s m u s t a d h e r e t o a n d r e i n f o r c e c o r p o r a t e b r a n d i n g g u i d e l i n e s f o r s t y l e , t o n e a n d m a n n e r . I n c o n s i s t e n c i e s a r e m a g n i f i e d o n l i n e a n d d i f f e r e n c e s , p e r c e i v e d o r r e a l , w i l l g i v e r e a s o n f o r d i s t r u s t a n d l o w e r c o n v e r s i o n r a t e s . < / P > < P > < B > K n o w Y o u r s e l f a n d Y o u r C u s t o m e r s < / B > < / P > < P > T o b u i l d o n l i n e t r u s t a n d c u s t o m e r l o y a l t y , u n d e r s t a n d h o w y o u r w e b s i t e i s g a i n i n g , k e e p i n g a n d l o s i n g c u s t o m e r s . U n d e r s t a n d h o w y o u r c u s t o m e r s i n t e r a c t w i t h y o u r w e b s i t e b y i m p l e m e n t i n g a w e b u s a b i l i t y a u d i t . U n d e r s t a n d w h y c e r t a i n p e o p l e b u y f r o m y o u , w h i l e o t h e r s d o n ? t . I n t i m a t e k n o w l e d g e o f w h o y o u r c u s t o m e r s a r e w i l l a l l o w y o u t o b u i l d a w e b s i t e t o s a t i s f y t h e n e e d s a n d e x p e c t a t i o n s o f t h o s e c u s t o m e r s . H a p p y c u s t o m e r s , a s w e a l l k n o w , q u i c k l y b e c o m e l o y a l , r e p e a t c u s t o m e r s . < / P > < P > F i n d o u t m o r e o n < A h r e f = " h t t p : / / w w w . v k i s t u d i o s . c o m " t a r g e t = _ n e w > w e b u s a b i l i t y < / A > a n d < A h r e f = " h t t p : / / w w w . v k i s t u d i o s . c o m " t a r g e t = _ n e w > I n t e r n e t m a r k e t i n g < / A > a t V K I S t u d i o s . c o m < / P > < P > F i n d P a r t 2 o n o u r < A h r e f = " h t t p : / / w w w . v k i s t u d i o s . c o m " t a r g e t = _ n e w > w e b s i t e < / A > . < / P >

 
 
 

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