Seven Ways to Increase Trust in Your Online Checkout

Checkout abandonment is a big problem for e-commerce websites for a number of reasons; a significant reason is lack of trust, particularly on websites with which users are unfamiliar. This week’s blog post covers seven ways to increase trust in your online checkout which in turn may reduce checkout abandonment and increase conversions.

Security badges

When shopping online, customers often become anxious when it comes to choosing passwords, entering payment details and divulging their personal information, especially if the brand or website is unknown to them. SSL certificates and security badges, such as Symantec’s VeriSign, encrypt personal information and show users that websites and online checkouts are secure and credible. According to Econsultancy, 48% of shoppers look for security badges when deciding whether to use a particular website.

Quick load times

Quick website loading times, particularly on checkout pages, are essential for e-commerce sites. Slow loading times can put people off entering their personal information and payment details in case the checkout crashes before the payment and order have been confirmed, in fear of being charged twice or the order not being acknowledged.  

Call-to-action labelling

You may find that simply labelling your call-to-action buttons differently can psychologically reduce customer anxiety. ASOS added the word “securely” to their call-to-action button to encourage security-conscious shoppers to click the button to continue.

Live chat and customer support 

Showing users there is a human behind your website can increase trust. Live chat features are becoming more popular on websites to answer customer queries and guide users through online checkout. O2 have a pop up online chat system which gives users the opportunity to chat with O2 customer advisors to increase trust. 

Privacy policy

By law, all websites are required to have a visible privacy policy informing users how their personal information will be used and handled. The new EU cookie law also means that website owners should tell users what cookies are being used to track their behaviour. Increase user trust by including as much information as possible and remember that not all your users will know what tracking cookies are, so present the information in a clear, concise and easy-to-understand format. 

Secure payment methods

PayPal is becoming a popular payment method on websites because you don’t need to enter any payment details. Therefore, consider accepting PayPal payments to appeal to security-conscious online shoppers.

However, commonly used Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode technology is making debit and credit card online payments more secure. Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode adds another level of security when customers use Visa or MasterCard to make payments online. These schemes are commonly used by large online retailers to increase trust and payment security.

Display your contact details

Increase trust and improve credibility by displaying your address and contact details clearly on your checkout pages. The PC World checkout page includes a telephone number for customers to call if they are experiencing problems, along with their registered address, other website addresses and terms and conditions.