People can be wary of shopping online, and with so many scams and fraudulent websites out there, it’s easy to see why. When you can’t physically see the goods in front of you, and anyone could be hiding behind a computer screen- a lot of people would prefer to shop with a company they know and have used before. This can be problematic when you’re a new business- you might be legitimate and selling exactly what you say you are, but people don’t know that. You need to find ways to build trust, and convince people that it’s ok to make that first order with you. After their first transaction has been made and they have received their items or services successfully it’s plain sailing from there, but what can you do to convince them to take that initial leap of faith?
Invest in a Good Website and App
Your website or app are likely to be the first impressions customers will get of your business. Therefore, investing in a good web design and app design company should be priority when you’re getting set up. Anything that looks cheap and amateur could convince customers they’re dealing with a scam company. They will know that something which is well presented and clearly looks professional isn’t the work of a fraudulent company, who aren’t going to spend a lot of money getting these kinds of details right.
Offer Paypal as a Payment Method
Paypal offers tonnes of protection for both buyers and sellers. The company guarantee that if an item is bought which doesn’t match the description or is fraudulent then the money will be returned, meaning it’s something that buyers love. If they’re on the fence about ordering from your company, knowing that they’re protected with Paypal can be enough to spur them on to order. If you’re a brand new company that no one has heard of, other methods that involve handing over card details are likely to send people running for the hills.
Run Social Media Accounts Correctly
One of the things most customers will look at if they’re unsure about a company is their social media pages. If things are run correctly, for example queries are answered quickly and politely then it can show them that you’re a legitimate business. Lots of complaints and unanswered questions will of course raise concern. As your business expands, it might be necessary to employ someone to run all of the social media side of things as this can be a full time position within itself. You should never buy followers since this will look very obvious and is something that lots of fraud companies do. However you could encourage people to follow you by providing them with something- discounts, voucher codes and more will always go down well. A good following again will show that you’re a legitimate company, and that others are using and enjoying whatever your business sells. Retweet positive comments and reviews and share images (with permission) of customers using your products.
