However, organizations in all industries are seeing a decline in consumer trust. According to buySAFE, 81% of online shoppers feel concerned when shopping on a website which they are not familiar with. This could bring to sales and customers loss.

A part from new customer acquisition, trust is also a keyfactor in retantion. A high consumer retantion leads to a higher Customer Lifetime Value CLV due to repeated purchases made by the loyal consumers. At the same time trust opens up to the possibility of building a community and offers even more perks for sellers to increase customer loyalty.

We have prepared here seven factors that customers fear the most when purchasing online:

1. Credit card: account thefts are still a thing today as they were back in the nineties, as purchasing online still exposes consumers to such fears. This can be resolved with reviews and trust marks from certified authorities.

2. Fear that the store isn’t “real”: Purchasing items in a virtual store that has no physical address or location creates doubts about the real existence of the item.

3. Incapability to tell how the product really looks like and fear of purchasing the wrong item.

4. Lack of consultancy from a salesperson. A common fear is that without the aid of a knowledgeable salesperson the product might not be a good fit.

5. Fear of personal information being sold to third parties.

6. Incapability to track orders if a tracking service is not provided. Fear of not having the possibility to return the item.

How do you create trust in e-commerce and build long-term relationships with these reluctant users?

Trust begins with making a good first impression. Your website should be fast, with easy to navigate and with good-looking images of the items to help build trust and credibility. Product pages need to be tailored around what the customer is looking for, like specific details about fabrics and materials, or the dimensions of the product.

Third-party reviews, security seals, free returns, and a physical location on the contacts page are all good methods to create trust in e-commerce and reduce any perceived risk.

Showing empathy to users and making your e-commerce website experiences usable, accessible, and consistent are crucial aspects.

Building a trustworthy image for your e-commerce is a slow process and may not have a direct influence on you conversions immediately. However, it will be very beneficial for your sales and ratings on the long ran, and will ensure your marketing efforts do not go to waste.