What Are E-Commerce Trust Marks & How To Use Them Effectively?

Trust marks are frequently used to refer to logos or badges that eCommerce website owners place on their websites to demonstrate that they have passed and are compliant with various privacy and security tests to convince customers that it is safe to purchase your products from their website.

A good example of trust marks is the Norton trust logo. In fact, research conducted by Baymard.com found that most internet users recognize and feel protected when they see the Norton trust logo on a website.

However, trust marks are more than just a collection of emblems or badges from third-party testing sites. There’s also the fact that not every customer can recognize trademarks at first, especially if they’re first-time internet customers.

So, how should an e-commerce website make use of trust marks, and why is it even important?

In this article, we’ve discussed everything you need to know about trust marks on e-commerce platforms, including what they are, why they’re important, and how you can implement them on your platform effectively.

1) E-Commerce Trust Mark: Definition

An E-commerce Trustmark is an electronic commerce label, symbol, or emblem displayed on a website to signify that the issuing organization has determined the internet business to be trustworthy.

A Trustmark instills confidence in clients and implies that doing business with the website exhibiting it is risk-free.

2) E-Commerce Trust Mark: Importance

When you go into a brick-and-mortar store for the first time, you may immediately find compelling reasons to trust the company and feel comfortable purchasing there. You could see staff at the register or stocking shelves, letting you know that there is someone to speak with if you need assistance. Before making a purchase, you may personally check the products for sale and inspect their condition. You may also see other consumers shopping and making purchases, showing that the business is trusted by others.

However, the online buying experience is different. You can’t see who runs the site, you can’t see if anybody else is shopping there, and your engagement with the things for sale is confined to photographs, videos, and written descriptions.

The lack of trust cues that you’d see in person means there’s a lot more ambiguity when it comes to online purchases – and a lot more at stake. Will I receive my purchase on time? Will they steal my money and flee? Will my purchase live up to my expectations in terms of quality? Is my credit card secure? Is my email going to be spammed? These are just a handful of the numerous questions that clients may have if they do not completely trust an ecommerce website.

3) E-Commerce Trust Mark: Impact of Customer Distrust

With so many alternatives available, online buyers may simply quit a dubious site in favor of one they trust more. In fact, on average, roughly 70% of carts are abandoned.

Reservations about business legality are the most prevalent source of cart abandonment, followed by concerns about the security of credit card details and purchase fulfillment.

Sadly, abandoned carts represent poorer conversion rates and wasted ad revenue and marketing effort utilized to bring in visitors.

In addition to conversion challenges, customer distrust may lead to unfavorable reviews and word of mouth, both online and offline, which can be much more difficult to fix in the long term. Negative opinions of your company may spread quickly and reach more people than ever before, owing to the abundance of channels available for customers to report a negative experience, from social networking sites to online review sites.

4) Trust Marks To Use On Your Online Store

When you sell something online, you expect buyers to believe that what they see is what they will receive. Rather than asking customers to do this blindly, you may incorporate trust marks on your website to demonstrate that your company is reputable and safe. Here are a few strategies to use trust marks in your online marketplace to build trust and loyalty.

4.1) Contact Information Should Always Be Visible

How many times have you been dissatisfied when shopping in a store because you couldn’t find a staff person to ask a question? Missing contact information on a website may make the online purchasing experience just as annoying, and some customers may even interpret it as an indicator of fraud.

Making your site’s contact information easily accessible tackles this problem by demonstrating that there are real people behind the scenes who can be reached.

At the very least, make sure your site’s header includes at least one contact method so that customers can readily discover it no matter what page they’re on. Many websites offer a link to a contact page, but providing a phone number or email address might be a more direct method to establish confidence.

4.2) Use The Right Trust Badges

A trust badge is a symbol or emblem that you display on your website to encourage potential clients to trust you. Traditionally, trust badges are displayed during the checkout process, but a new practice of displaying them straight on the main page is gaining favor. Here are three of the most prominent trust badges that you should consider putting on your platform:

4.2.1) Safe Checkout Badge

The secure checkout badge, arguably the most essential kind of trust badge, is the emblem offered when you sign up with a firm that provides an SSL certificate. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption safeguards the internet connection and the data transmitted over it.

This emblem shows that your checkout procedure is trustworthy: the data is encrypted, and your customers’ credit card information is safe and secure. This type of trust can aid in the improvement of your conversion rates.

There are other safe checkout badge alternatives available; however, the most trusted and recognized badges instantly inform your clients that your site can be trusted. Symantec’s SSL emblem is possibly the most well-known — you may know them better as Norton, VeriSign, or LifeLock. PayPal and Shopify can also provide you with globally recognized trust badges.

Safe Checkout Badges work best when placed near your “Add to Cart” buttons and on the checkout page of your website.

4.2.2) Payments Accepted Badge

People feel more confident when they see a recognized brand, which is why approved payment badges are so powerful. These badges essentially show which type of payments you accept. By adding just a few logos, including Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and PayPal badges as payment alternatives, you can increase the level of trust in your website.

According to a ConversionXL study, when people are familiar with a brand, they have a sense of security. “For the most part,” according to the study, “more familiarity also equaled a stronger sense of security.”

These buttons may be placed in the footer of your website, and they can also be displayed on your payment page.

4.2.3) Money-Back Guarantee Badge

The money-back guarantee badge, maybe the most powerful trust badge of all, virtually removes the anxiety and perceived danger of purchasing a good or service online. While this does not address any technological security problems, it does demonstrate to potential consumers that you have their best interests at heart.

This trust emblem is absolutely free; you can either create it yourself to fit your branding or locate a free printable version online.

If you have a 30-day money-back guarantee badge, you should flaunt it. You want to make certain that every single customer notices and takes note of it. It should be located almost everywhere on your website, especially on the products page and near the Add To Cart and Checkout buttons.

5) SSL Certificate Has Become A Necessity

A global website security standard that permits encryption between a browser and a server is an SSL certificate. Installing an SSL certificate on your ecommerce site ensures that when customers submit sensitive data, it is delivered securely and is less likely to be captured by a hostile attacker.

SSL certificates have become more of a compulsion, especially for e-commerce platforms. For example, if your website doesn’t have an SSL certificate, Google redirects the visitor to a warning page. The visitor’s chances of forgoing the warning and choosing to visit your website are slim to none.

That being said, SSL certificates can simply be obtained from various sources. However, you must be aware of the expiration date of your certificate. If it expires and you fail to renew it, your site will be ‘Not Secure’ until it’s renewed or you purchase a new certificate.

6) In Conclusion

It takes time to build trust in your ecommerce platform. When attempting to build trust, it is important to adopt a comprehensive strategy. Put yourself in the shoes of your visitors and consider how they see your site at each point of the client experience. Use trust signals to address customer issues and assist them through each step of the purchasing process. Customers will buy with confidence, knowing that your site is authentic and safe, as they encounter more trust marks.

If you’re still unsure about how to use trust signals, our experts at Navigate are happy to help. We develop e-commerce solutions that transform shoppers into lifelong customers. Using best practices and techniques, we will build solutions tailored to match your business goals and end-users.