3 Ways to Improve Consumer Trust Before the Holidays
Trust in a brand takes time to fully obtain and only seconds to lose (just as Target and Home Depot).
As the holiday season rapidly approaches and companies gear up for the influx of business they expect (and hope) to receive, it's vital they earn consumers trust as much as possible in the short amount of time before the holidays approach.
Below are three ways companies can improve consumers trust in them before the holidays.
Have a Security Seal Clearly Visible
In a world where credit card information seems to be getting leaked every week security has never been more at the forefront of consumers' minds.
One of the simplest ways that companies can help increase their consumers' confidence in giving them their credit card information is through the inclusion of a security seal on the payment page/process. This simple icon shows consumers that you have partnered with a security company in an effort to keep their information safe, in other words, it lets them know you care.
Fortunately for companies, many security providers understand the need to reassure consumers and have offer trust seals to be displayed during the payment process. A few security providers that have this function are Symantec, Trust Guard, SiteLock and VeraSafe.
Take Advantage of Consumer Reviews
Reviews have become part of the buying process. It is commonplace now for consumers to look up reviews (especially on big purchases) to see how the product or service performs and whether or not it's worth spending the money.
It is a proven fact that customer ratings and reviews are an influential part of the purchasing process. By not providing consumers with ratings and reviews on your site, companies open up the door for consumers to exit their site and search others that have reviews of the same product.
For those that do not have rating or review capabilities there are several solutions available to implement the trust building features. One of the most powerful solutions is PowerReviews which recently entered into a partnership with Google to display reviews in their Product Listing Campaigns as well as in the Google Shopping portion of the site.
Respond to Customer Inquiries and Respond Quickly
Today's world is filled with ways for consumers to receive instant gratification from the Internet and companies need to understand and contribute to this.
Social media is not just a place for friends to communicate with one another anymore but it is now also a place for companies to advertise as well as engage with their consumers. A great example of companies communicating with their consumers on social networks is Dropbox responding the same day to a Tweet sent from a consumer asking how to save pictures from Dropbox to a zip drive.
@adenver12 This article might be helpful: https://t.co/6BJiRIHYwY - Dropbox (@Dropbox) September 12, 2014
By speedily communicating with consumers companies let their consumers know they care about them.
There are numerous solutions that can help companies manage their social media accounts. A few noteworthy solutions include Meltwater, Hootsuite and SproutSocial.
