Tips for Building and Sustaining Customer Trust

Customers don’t give their trust to just anyone, so earning it is a pretty big deal. Although earning the trust of new customers can be tough, unfortunately losing it is fairly easy. After customers feel they’ve been deceived or misled, getting them back is nearly impossible. On the other hand, retailers who know how to maintain the trust of their customers are more likely to keep them for good. For a few tips on how to sustain trust with customers, keep reading below. 

Personalize the Experience

A little customization during the shopping experience can go a long way. When a retailer does the little things that display how important a customer is, winning their trust over competitors who treat them like another number becomes easier. For example, has your favorite retailer ever emailed you an offer featuring sales or promotions on products similar to ones you’ve bought in the past? That’s the type of personalization that plays a role in keeping customers from ever seeing what competitors may have to offer. Personalization like that also helps establish a brand or retailer as an expert or industry authority in their particular field. 

Personalizing the shopping experience doesn’t have to be difficult, either. Simply understanding that no two customers are alike is a major aspect of using personalization to increase build trust. Different shoppers have different expectations out of what they’re seeking in their shopping experience. Take the content you provide shoppers with for instance. While marketing content created in house may resonate with some consumers, statistics say user generated content is the best way to get through to certain demographics like millennials and gen-z. By emphasizing personalization throughout the shopping process, retailers are more likely to provide content that gets through to shoppers which can help earn and keep their credibility. 

Offer Content that Builds Authority

Appearing as a subject matter expert can have a profound impact on developing trust with new customers. Who would be more qualified to provide expertise about a brand or retailer than its customers? Suppose you’re shopping for a new sound system for your home computer but you aren’t sure how it’ll look with your current setup. After scrolling through the product reviews listed, you notice a variety of photos that display the same sound system you’re looking at in all types of setups. After a few minutes you come across one that looks similar to yours, which gives you just enough piece of mind to move forward with the purchase. Now that your concerns about how it will look are now at ease, the fact that so many other customers feel comfortable purchasing from and sharing photos of their purchase from this particular retailer leads you to believe that they’re more than worthy of your trust.  

Along with user generated content, building authority with customers can also come from providing educational content from time to time. Whether its content that provides industry updates, or news regarding a specific product or brand, keeping customers in the know is a major aspect of building trust. Maintaining transparency with customers throughout the duration of the sales process tends to pay dividends in the long run. Research shows 9 in 10 Americans find transparency from brands more important now than ever before. 

Provide Transparency Throughout the Sales Journey

Since some brands and retailers solely rely on in-house marketing messaging, being honest and transparent with shoppers can serve as a method for standing out in the minds of new customers. Without the thoughts and opinions of shoppers with firsthand experience with a retailer or brand, how can customers gain an accurate depiction of what to expect? That’s exactly where ratings and reviews often come into play. Research shows just over half of consumers read at least four online reviews before moving forward with a purchase. 

Product reviews and seller ratings are becoming an unavoidable stop along the buying journey. The ability to leverage them across other mediums like social media platforms are one of the biggest reasons why. The transparency offered by user generated content helps establish authority especially when they get responses directly from the retailer or brand itself after a bad review or receiving a question. 

If you’re curious about how you can start collecting content that helps establish your brand as one customers can trust, schedule a demo with an expert today!