Designing a Site that Builds Trust

If trust is the lubrication that is necessary for business to take place, then you can do a lot to build that trust by the way you design and lay out your online store.

Have a Professional Design Your Online Store

When you're looking for a store to shop in, a lot of little things catch your eye. Even clues so subtle that they don't reach the conscious level contribute to the impression you form. The sign, the way the windows are placed, the parking lot, the general look of neatness or clutter, the colors, the window display. You're attracted to stores that radiate a feeling of competency and success. You shun stores that look tumbledown, temporary, tasteless, and tacky.

Small businesses sometimes scrimp at the wrong places. Can you imagine spending thousands of dollars to furnish and purchase inventory for a storefront, and then get out a ladder and paintbrush to paint your own sign? "I'm talented," you say. But I would guess that unless you were a sign painter in a former career, your "talent" will look amateurish to 95% of the potential customers who drive by your store, and then decide not to go in. Scrimping on the sign tells a prospective customer a great deal about your values. He wonders what kind of cheap outfit this is.

Online stores are judged by their layout and design. It can look amateurish or professional. An amateurish look raises all sorts of questions in your customer's mind about whether he will receive any product at all, and whether he will receive satisfaction if the product isn't what he expected. An attractive website design, on the other hand, exudes a sense of competence and inspires confidence in your customer.

Professional website design for an online store may not be as expensive as you think. Many online stores these days are built in template format, so the design for a single page, once set, carries through the entire store. To find a professional website designer, look in your local Yellow Pages under "Internet" or "Web Site Services," or in your city's local section of the Yahoo! directory under Business and Shopping | Business to Business | Communications and Networking.

Sell Brand Name Products

Another way to generate trust is to carry name brand products. People buy brands they have confidence in, and that confidence rubs off on the store that carries those brands. Cheap knock-offs, off brands, etc. will raise questions about the quality of your business.

Of course, a company that is selling a new product or carries products by an unknown manufacturer is at a disadvantage. Expensive branding efforts do effect customer perception of the store that carries those goods. You'll need to demonstrate that products by unknown manufacturers are equal or superior to the established brands. The burden is on the storeowner to make the case. Brands breed confidence.

Make Credible Presentations

Most customers distrust products promoted with hype and unbelievable claims. Though exaggeration can be effective with some shoppers, with many, wild claims will backfire. The storeowner needs to present products in such a way that all of a shopper's anticipated questions are answered in a believable manner.

Provide Full Contact Information

Finally, your design should make it easy to find full contact information -- address, phone, e-mail address, etc. Too many sites restrict ways in which potential customers can ask questions and make contact. This breeds frustration and distrust. Consumers are wary of online stores that hide phone numbers or mailing addresses. The shopper wonders, If I can't get in touch with this storeowner when I have a question, what happens when I have a problem after the sale? Why DOESN'T he accept phone calls? I, too, am wary of companies I can't contact through traditional communications channels.

In order to establish the trust required to make the sale, harness all the tools at your disposal -- design, products, presentation, and contact information.