Happy customers are loyal customers. But how do you make customers happy? Focusing on greater transparency is a great place to start.
Companies with easy to understand, transparent operating policies are perceived as being trustworthy and honest, which in turn encourages investment. After all, nobody likes to feel as though they are being lied to or deceived, least of all when it comes to parting with their hard-earned money.
In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some simple ways your ecommerce store can encourage customer loyalty by embracing transparency in 2016.
Where should I start?
No business owner starts a company with the intention of building a questionable reputation – not if they hope to stay in business for long that is. Competition between online retailers is tough, but aside from ensuring you have competitive prices and a decent website, developing trust and loyalty should be a priority if you hope to generate a devoted customer base and ensure long-term success.
If you want your ecommerce store to reflect the honesty and integrity of your company but you’re unsure where to start, we recommend that you take a look at the following areas of your website:
Clear Pricing Structures: It may seem obvious, but having a clear pricing structure for your products or services is one of the basics when you’re aiming to make your business practices more transparent. Make sure your pricing information includes any additional costs the consumer may incur when ordering the product. For example, you might want to include packaging and postage costs. If the price of the product has been recently reduced, mention this too.
Make Payment Options Highly Visible: Online shopping has become increasingly popular in recent years. But many customers are still cautious about using unfamiliar payment methods when making purchases online. No matter how you choose to process payments (Paypal, Direct Debit, etc.), make sure that you provide detailed, clear information. Customers won’t spend the time searching your site for the information, they’ll simply abandon their order and move on to a competitor’s website.
Accurate Product Descriptions: All of your products descriptions should be as detailed as possible to avoid confusion. Misleading descriptions do nothing to build trust with customers. Instead, they lead to customer complaints, negative reviews and also take up a lot of precious administration time.
Detailed Refund Policy: Having a clear refund policy on display on a prominent page of your website is very important. The more detailed your refund policy, the more likely customers will be to commit to a purchase.
Include Shipping Details: Don’t forget to include comprehensive shipping information for your products. Do you offer next day delivery? If you do but you also charge a fee for it, make this clear. When can customers expect their products? Providing a general timeline for deliveries will help to manage customer expectations and also reduce the number of e-mails you receive from people tracking their orders.
The message is clear – keep it clear and simple if you want to build trust with your customers online and encourage sales.
Get in touch
If you’re looking for help developing a digital marketing strategy for your ecommerce store, Fluid Commerce can help.
We’re an award-winning digital agency with a passion for ecommerce that will help you set your business apart from the competition.
Get in touch here to speak to our friendly team, or call us on 0161 762 4920. We look forward to hearing from you!