How to Win Trust on the Web
Trust is perhaps the most critical issue in internet marketing. As previously discussed, the three types of consumer trust are:
- Ability Trust – Does your customer trust that your firm is capable of getting the job done?
- Benevolence Trust – Do you have your customer’s concern at heart or are you just after the almighty dollar.
- Integrity Trust – Do you adhere to a set of principles or standards – a moral compass that your customers can trust?
Every marketing piece you do, should carefully deal with these trust issues.
Trust and Web Site Commerce
Let’s put this inspection of customer trust right where the pedal meets the metal – in web site commerce. In the chilly air of cyber space, where you may be a complete unknown to the customer, trust is of extreme importance. It’s especially critical since the web is increasingly called upon to interactively participate in all four customer phases: lead, prospect, customer, repeat customer.
In the latest issue of the Journal of Marketing, it was observed that the prevailing wisdom has dictated that as online purchasers became more experienced, their level of trust would increase. “Recent reports however”, according to the Journal, “indicate that consumers at all levels of internet experience are increasingly cautious about buying online.” This is a counterintuitive trend that is troubling to most web marketers.
Breaking web customer trust down further the study finds that ability trust, rather than benevolence trust or integrity trust, are most important in a web searcher’s buying habits. Further, ability trust is most influenced by the level of design; “The front end design elements of a web site (design) and not the back-end technologies, such as order fulfillment software, security encryption and firewall capabilities were considered most influential on buying decisions…people will generalize their trust in one area (design) to other related areas (e.g. order fulfillment). Thus instead of being purely cosmetic, Web site design likely communicates important performance information.”
When web searchers see that a company has invested in a high-end, professionally designed website, their confidence in the company’s abilities to meet their needs and fulfill their orders increases. This conclusion has a flip side: slipshod firms can spend more on their webs, scam their customers and cause the declining trust in web purchasing that we are seeing now. Oh what tangled webs we weave!
You can do nothing about unethical companies scamming customers with professional looking websites — even if they are your competition. However, our advice on gaining web trust is threefold:
- Make sure that your web design errs on the plus side in reflecting your level of capability and expertise – win the ability trust you deserve first.
- Just because ability trust matters most on the web at present, do not neglect benevolence trust (customer education, support etc.) and integrity trust (certifications, qualifications, track record etc.) messages, as they will matter in the long run.
- Make sure you communicate your branding promise and then fulfill that promise over and over without fail. This is perhaps the ultimate key to gaining trust on the web or anywhere.
Brand well and prosper!
Andy Cleary