5 Ways To Create A Shopify Store With Trust & Professionalism

Earning someone's trust is difficult. You can know a person for years and they still might not fully trust you with their most intimate secrets. It's an even tougher ask to get a customer to trust your Shopify store with their details and money. You have very little time to appear professional – the majority of internet users will give a page less than 8 seconds to earn their extended attention, and a lack of trust and professionalism is a big reason behind that.**

So, you're an up-and-coming Shopify store; how do you go about building that trust amongst your visitors and creating a sense of professionalism?

Show your human side

Even if all the background processes that go into running your business are legitimate, nobody will be able to tell if the surface of your store appears barren. Beyond a good quality design, you need to have the content to earn the reputation you want to present. Without it, as far as a first-time visitor knows, you're just a website; there's no human face or personality behind it.

This is why it's vital to make sure your website is full of content from launch that shows the human side of your business.

Include a biography about who you are and why you're invested in your business. Even if the customer has only found you while searching for a specific product, customers will want to learn a little bit about your brand story and who they're buying from.

What is the background to your business? What do you look like, and what are your goals? This content helps to create the image of a professional business with a long-term plan, rather than a dodgy operation with a website run out the back of a garage. People don't shop from faceless businesses operated by just anyone; they want to buy from a human they could meet on the high street.

Of course, developing your brand's personality doesn't always require human input — you'd be surprised at how effective a chatbot like Crisp (a popular Zendesk alternative) can be at emulating the customer service experience provided by an in-store assistant. By implementing a few straightforward automation adjustments, a chatbot can be tailored to send personalized messages at critical junctures when shoppers may require assistance. This includes scenarios such as when an item has remained in the basket beyond a predetermined time frame.

Following up purchases

Professionalism doesn't end when you make a sale. A customer may trust you enough to make a purchase, but they will expect the customer service to remain at a high standard. This means two things; having a strong returns policy and maintaining communication with the customer.

The most common form of purchase follow-up is invoicing. By providing your customers with an invoice, you're not only covering yourself from legal issues but giving them peace of mind about their purchase. If a customer receives an automatic email after their purchase with the invoice, they will know the order was successful and feel assured that they gave their details to a trustworthy store.

You should consider integrating modern solutions, such as Wave’s online invoicing software, into your Shopify store. These solutions make invoicing easy, help save time, and enable you to track payments and manage your customer information all in one place. Another option? Scheduling text messages to your most loyal customers offering discounts, or giving them advanced warnings of incoming flash sales.

Following up purchases is also an integral part of brand building. Your order confirmation emails and any other subsequent emails the customer has signed up to receive should have all of your branding in the signature, including links to the store they shopped from and any other store you may operate. It's all part of building a relationship.

Make security a priority

It may sound obvious, but you'd be surprised how many websites don't take the safety and security of their customer's information seriously. What is less likely to surprise you is these businesses don't last very long.

Shopify stores that do not put the right security precautions in place for their customers will not make any sales. Before you start operating and promoting yourself you need to make sure your payment systems are secure.

Think about what you'd want to see if you were a customer. Security breaches can hit businesses of any size, but that's no excuse. Make your first investment a secure payment gateway that will put customers at ease as they complete their order. Your store should accept a range of payment options, so it doesn't appear that you're pushing your customers to one, less trustworthy, option.

Accept recognizable payment options, including major banks and alternative services such as PayPal. Association with these payment options will make your store look more legitimate in the eyes of the average customer, who likely does a lot of online shopping and is used to this process as a sign of professionalism.

Social proof

Ever felt more inclined to shop with a store because of a recommendation from a friend? That's social proof in action. The confirmation of trustworthiness, professionalism and quality from existing customers is one of the biggest reasons a shopper will convert with your Shopify store. Customers are more than happy to share their opinions on products and services, and you should take advantage of that as a business to build confidence in visitors.

Social proof for e commerce comes in a variety of ways. You should aim to use customer reviews taken from well-known review websites such as TrustPilot. Just featuring their logo with a positive star rating on your homepage can be enough to make you seem legitimate regardless of the content of all the reviews.

Endorsements from high-profile customers and clients talking up the professionalism and service of your Shopify store can make a huge difference in a customer's perception of you. Use stamps of approval from experts and certificates of authenticity to give the impression you're experts in your field.

Easy to find contact information

Some customers just want to talk. Not because they're bored, but because they're trying to suss out who you are and if you're worth trusting with their details. In the same way people want to have a face to associate with the business, they like to have contact information so they can get in touch and get some evidence themselves.

Make sure there is a space on your website dedicated to who owns and operates the business, and how to reach them. It cannot be understated how vital a Contact Us page is in the structure of your website when trying to convince customers they can trust you. Have a phone number, contact email and office address clearly displayed on this page.

Even if you're not operating an open office or showroom, it's good to give your business a place in the world. It will make your business feel more genuine and help customers to imagine operations they'd see at a brick-and-mortar store.

You should also replicate this information across your social media and make sure your social pages are linked to from your homepage. Not only will this encourage audience crossover on the platforms, but it will also serve as confirmation you are who you say you are.

It's easy to forget these details when you're swept up in the excitement of launching your Shopify store. These aren't the only ways to earn a user's trust or look more professional — in reality, you can never stop building your reputation. However, they are all essential for building your reputation in the early years.