Which ecommerce trust marks are most effective (Part one)
44% of people said they’re less likely than they were a year ago to trust an online merchant. We discuss how trust marks can increase customer confidence online.
Increasing cases of hackers and fraud has consumers right where the hackers want them: fearful of who can be trusted online. This problem is nothing new; it’s as old as the internet itself. Despite innovative security solutions of recent years, online shoppers are concerned, with 44% of them saying they’re less likely than they were a year ago to trust a web merchant with personal data.
For ecommerce retailers, ecommerce website security forms the building blocks of a successful online business and trust marks play an integral role in bridging the security gap between consumer and retailer.
In this two part series, we’ll be discussing all things trust marks: What they are, how they work, which trust marks are the most influential, and whether they are worth the price tag. We’ll also be looking at other ways retailers can build trust and boost ecommerce sales.
Trust marks: What are they and how do they work
To diminish fear and enhance confidence, many online retailers use trust marks – seals, logos and icons displayed on a website to provide information on what systems are in place to protect the customer. The trust marks tell a story about which security and compliance checks an online store has passed in order to reassure the customer that it safe to enter personal information to purchase products.
Types of trustmarks
There’s no one size fits all approach to trust marks, with each trust mark provider making a variety of claims. They usually fit in to at least one of the following categories:
- Reputation: A reputation trust mark claims to offer the ultimate proof that your website lives by high standard business practices, and that there is, in fact, a legitimate business beyond the website.
- Privacy: A privacy trust mark lets your potential customer know that the business abides by a set of customer data management practices, as determined by the trust mark provider.
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): By employing an up-to-date SSL trust mark, visitors are guaranteed that the website uses encryption technology for each session.
- Security/Vulnerability Scanning: Indicates use of regular systemic security auditing and vulnerability testing for the website. This kind of software looks out for malware, viruses, and malicious downloads.
Trust marks in comparison
Trust marks play an important factor in building trust with new customers. Econsultancy, a digital business, marketing and ecommerce resource website, recently conducted a survey on the topic of ecommerce security, asking respondents this question:
If you are shopping from an online retailer for the first time, how would you decide whether to trust the website?
Here’s how they answered.
Source: Econsultancy
As you can see, respondents listed trust marks as the number one factor when it comes to deciding to shop at a particular website.
Commonly recognised trustmarks
Scour any of the big name online retailers, and you’re likely to see at least one of these trust marks.
McAfee Secure
McAfee Secure prides itself on increasing sales and conversions by reminding visitors that they’re a part of the secure web. With a McAfee Secure trust mark, you get the benefit of security monitoring, search highlighting for the 50 million SiteAdvisor software users, consumer tools and the trust mark system. Big brands including Jelly Belly said their online sales went up 6% by implementing the McAfee Secure service. Jason Marrone, Jelly Belly Ecommerce Manager, also said that Jelly Belly will see “an annual ROI of just shy of 2400%”.
PayPal
PayPal is a simple way for people to buy and sell online. In a nutshell, it encrypts your financial information so you are always protected. It’s currently used by over 110,000 Australian stores, including Woolworths, Dominos, ASOS, and Telstra.
Norton Secure by Symantec (previously VeriSign)
Norton Secure is a thorough software system designed for privacy-minded ecommerce website owners. Part of its offerings includes daily malware scanning and vulnerability testing. The trust mark is seen one billion times per day across 170 countries.
You’ve come to the end of Part one. In Part two we’ll be discussing whether all trust marks are created equal and offer some actionable tips for using trust marks in ecommerce.
Are you a looking to refresh your existing ecommerce store or launch a new ecommerce website? iFactory offer ecommerce website design solutions and we’ll help you create a trust worthy website that visitors will want to buy from and keep returning to for years to come. Get in contact with us today for your ecommerce web design Brisbane needs.
