{"id":3349,"date":"2020-10-22T20:26:19","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T20:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/2020\/10\/22\/customer-confidence-is-key-to-e-commerce-success\/"},"modified":"2020-10-22T20:26:19","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T20:26:19","slug":"customer-confidence-is-key-to-e-commerce-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/2020\/10\/22\/customer-confidence-is-key-to-e-commerce-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer Confidence Is Key To E-Commerce Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?rct=j&#038;sa=t&#038;url=https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/jiawertz\/2020\/10\/22\/customer-confidence-is-key-to-e-commerce-success\/&#038;ct=ga&#038;cd=CAIyHGQzYWQwNmI0YTFiYjA3MmU6Y28udWs6ZW46R0I&#038;usg=AFQjCNGMQAP-xLae0yOyYY-PAlfZzogjxQ\">Customer Confidence Is Key To E-Commerce Success<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-sharing\">\n<ul class=\"article-sharing__container\">\n<li class=\"article-sharing__item\"><a class=\"social-icon facebook\" onclick=\"window.open(&quot;https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fjiawertz%2F2020%2F10%2F22%2Fcustomer-confidence-is-key-to-e-commerce-success%2F&quot;, 'window', 'width=400,height=500')\" aria-label=\"Share Facebook\" data-ga-track=\"Facebook Click\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Share to Facebook<\/span><svg class=\"fs-icon fs-icon--facebook\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\"><path d=\"M32.9 49H25V30h-3.9v-6.6H25v-3.9c0-5.4 2.2-8.5 8.5-8.5h5.2v6.6h-3.3c-2.5 0-2.6.9-2.6 2.6v3.3h5.9l-.5 6.5H33v19h-.1z\" \/><\/svg><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-sharing__item\"><a class=\"social-icon twitter\" onclick=\"window.open(&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fjiawertz%2F2020%2F10%2F22%2Fcustomer-confidence-is-key-to-e-commerce-success%2F&amp;text=Customer%20Confidence%20Is%20Key%20To%20E-Commerce%20Success%20via%20%40forbes&quot;, 'window', 'width=400,height=500')\" aria-label=\"Share Twitter\" data-ga-track=\"Twitter Click\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Share to Twitter<\/span><svg class=\"fs-icon fs-icon--twitter\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\"><path d=\"M22.2 38.9c-3.4-.3-6.1-1.7-7.5-5.1h3.6c-3.9-1.4-5.6-4.3-5.9-8.4 1.2.6 2.3.7 3.5.7-2.1-1.6-3.6-3.4-3.7-6.1-.1-1.5.5-2.8 1.3-4 4.4 5 9.7 8.3 16.5 8.9v-2.7c.1-1.9.6-3.6 1.9-5.1 2.5-2.8 6.9-3.1 9.8-.7.2.2.5.4.7.6.2.2.4.2.7.2 1.1-.3 2-.9 3-1.4.5-.3 1.1-.6 1.7-1-.4 1.1-.9 2-1.5 2.8-.6.8-1.3 1.6-2.2 2.2 1.6-.2 3.2-.6 4.8-1.1-.3.4-.6.8-.9 1.1l-2.7 2.4c-.1.1-.2.3-.2.4.1 3.3-.6 6.5-1.9 9.6-1.9 4.2-4.7 7.5-8.6 9.9-2.5 1.5-5.2 2.4-8.1 2.9-5.5.8-10.5-.5-15.1-3.3-.1 0-.1-.1-.2-.1h.2c1.1.5 2.2.4 3.3.3 2.3-.2 4.5-.9 6.6-2.1l.9-.6v-.3z\" \/><\/svg><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-sharing__item\"><a class=\"social-icon linkedin\" onclick=\"window.open(&quot;https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fjiawertz%2F2020%2F10%2F22%2Fcustomer-confidence-is-key-to-e-commerce-success%2F&amp;title=Customer%20Confidence%20Is%20Key%20To%20E-Commerce%20Success&amp;summary=Developing%20consumer%20confidence%20by%20answering%20questions%2C%20providing%20quality%20assurance%2C%20and%20the%20flexibility%20of%20returns%20and%20exchanges%20can%20minimize%20concerns%20with%20making%20online%20purchases.%20Let%E2%80%99s%20look%20at%20how%20companies%20are%20addressing%20commonly%20cited%20drawbacks%20of%20shopping%20online.&quot;, 'window', 'width=400,height=500')\" aria-label=\"Share Linkedin\" data-ga-track=\"Linkedin Click\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Share to Linkedin<\/span><svg class=\"fs-icon fs-icon--linkedin\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\"><path d=\"M44.9 33.2v11h-6.4V34c0-2.6-.9-4.3-3.2-4.3-1.8 0-2.8 1.2-3.3 2.3-.2.4-.2 1-.2 1.6v10.7h-6.4s.1-17.4 0-19.2h6.4V27.9v-.1c.8-1.3 2.4-3.2 5.8-3.2 4.1 0 7.3 2.7 7.3 8.6zM18.7 15.8c-2.2 0-3.6 1.4-3.6 3.3 0 1.8 1.4 3.3 3.5 3.3 2.2 0 3.6-1.5 3.6-3.3 0-1.9-1.3-3.3-3.5-3.3zm-3.2 28.4h6.4V25h-6.4v19.2z\" \/><\/svg><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"embed-base image-embed embed-0\" role=\"presentation\">\n<div>\n  <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specials-images.forbesimg.com\/imageserve\/5f9080c5eced7542049b5cb0\/960x0.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Woman shopping online\" data-height=\"3413\" data-width=\"5120\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\">\n <\/div><figcaption>\n<p class=\"color-body light-text\"><small>getty<\/small><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As COVID-19 has solidified the global shift from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce, there are considerations as to what gets lost in translation when someone is shopping online as opposed to in-person. Case in point: when Amazon and Whole Foods first announced their partnership, many wondered if customers would prefer to pick out their own produce, rather than trusting a delivery person to pick the freshest in the bunch and deliver to their doorstep. This physical interaction with a product before purchasing it is the reason that many are still clinging to the concept of in-store shopping. In fact, a <a href=\"https:\/\/v12data.com\/blog\/consumer-shopping-trends-stats\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/v12data.com\/blog\/consumer-shopping-trends-stats\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/v12data.com\/blog\/consumer-shopping-trends-stats\/\" aria-label=\"2019 study from BizFeel\">2019 study from BizFeel<\/a> found that 51% of shoppers believe the biggest drawback of online shopping is not being able to touch, feel, and try a product, with other cited drawbacks including delay in delivery and the threat of scam or fraudulence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This presents a minor yet solvable inconvenience for product-based companies that solely have an online presence. The question becomes, \u2018How do we develop customer confidence in the product so they purchase before physically trying it?\u2019 It\u2019s a question that needs to be answered quickly, as online shopping is only becoming more prevalent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The pandemic has driven more shoppers online, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpmorgan.com\/solutions\/cib\/research\/covid-spending-habits\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.jpmorgan.com\/solutions\/cib\/research\/covid-spending-habits\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.jpmorgan.com\/solutions\/cib\/research\/covid-spending-habits\" aria-label=\"e-commerce now accounting for 16.1% of all U.S. sales\">e-commerce now accounting for 16.1% of all U.S. sales<\/a>, up from 11.8% in the first quarter. Even before COVID-19 turned the world to virtual, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/534123\/e-commerce-share-of-retail-sales-worldwide\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/534123\/e-commerce-share-of-retail-sales-worldwide\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/534123\/e-commerce-share-of-retail-sales-worldwide\/\" aria-label=\"researchers estimated\">researchers estimated<\/a> that by 2023, e-commerce would comprise 22% of all sales. This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that consumers are on board, however \u2013 especially if they\u2019ve shopped in-person for most of their lives. Only 41% of baby boomers and 28% of seniors prefer online shopping, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/242512\/online-retail-visitors-in-the-us-by-age-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/242512\/online-retail-visitors-in-the-us-by-age-group\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/242512\/online-retail-visitors-in-the-us-by-age-group\/\" aria-label=\"research from Statista\">research from Statista<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Consumer confidence can be boosted when a brand develops trust with their audience.&nbsp;Answering consumer\u2019s questions, providing quality assurance, and helping customers choose the product that\u2019s best for them with the flexibility of returns and exchanges, can minimize any resistance or concerns with making online purchases. Let\u2019s look at how companies can address the commonly cited drawbacks of shopping online.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Offer Easy Returns And A Money-Back Guarantee<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the major reasons that resistance arises for customers making online purchases is that they don\u2019t want to handle the hassle of a return if the product isn\u2019t up to par. The proof is in the pudding: <a href=\"https:\/\/chainstoreage.com\/survey-online-shoppers-want-returns-reassurance\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/chainstoreage.com\/survey-online-shoppers-want-returns-reassurance\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/chainstoreage.com\/survey-online-shoppers-want-returns-reassurance\" aria-label=\"according to a recent survey\">according to a recent survey<\/a> by Inmar Intelligence, 40% of respondents indicated that they have held off on making an online purchase since the COVID-19 outbreak began because they may have to return the item. And two-thirds (67%) of respondents check the returns page before making an online purchase. Meanwhile, 72% of respondents will purchase from an online retailer again if the returns process is easy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"vestpocket\" vest-pocket><\/div>\n<p>Enforcing an easy return process is paramount and can boost customer confidence in purchasing online. But even better than having a straightforward return policy is to lessen the chances of returns at all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur approach is to offer a full money-back guarantee. If you know your product is good, you\u2019re giving people a risk-free way to try it and the return percentage overall is quite low,\u201d says Kate Duff, brand coordinator at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fieracosmetics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"http:\/\/www.fieracosmetics.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:http:\/\/www.fieracosmetics.com\/\" aria-label=\"Fiera Cosmetics\">Fiera Cosmetics<\/a>, a makeup brand for aging skin. Makeup is one of the trickiest products to sell online because of differentiations in skin types and skin colors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you can stand behind your product&#8217;s quality, a money-back guarantee is totally the way to go, it shows customers that you have total confidence that they\u2019ll like the product, which helps them feel confident, too,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Augmented Reality Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The retail sector is expected to spend a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idc.com\/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS45679219\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.idc.com\/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS45679219\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.idc.com\/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS45679219\" aria-label=\"$1.5 billion on augmented reality\">$1.5 billion on augmented reality<\/a> and virtual reality technology in 2020.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sephora has boosted its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2017\/3\/16\/14946086\/sephora-virtual-assistant-ios-app-update-ar-makeup\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2017\/3\/16\/14946086\/sephora-virtual-assistant-ios-app-update-ar-makeup\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2017\/3\/16\/14946086\/sephora-virtual-assistant-ios-app-update-ar-makeup\" aria-label=\"technology\">technology<\/a> with the addition of an augmented reality feature on their app allowing customers to virtually \u2018try on\u2019 makeup in the comfort of their homes. \u201cIn 2D try-on, the goal is that interacting and virtually trying on makeup or skin products will lead to an increase in sales,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.retaildive.com\/ex\/mobilecommercedaily\/sephora-reflects-on-cosmetic-sampling-trend-with-augmented-reality-mirror\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.retaildive.com\/ex\/mobilecommercedaily\/sephora-reflects-on-cosmetic-sampling-trend-with-augmented-reality-mirror\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.retaildive.com\/ex\/mobilecommercedaily\/sephora-reflects-on-cosmetic-sampling-trend-with-augmented-reality-mirror\" aria-label=\"said Dr. Parham Aarabi\">said Dr. Parham Aarabi<\/a>, founder and CEO of ModiFace, the creator of the technology.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Other makeup brands have followed suit, such as the HiMirror plus, a physical device that scans faces and recommends products based on the scan. Additionally, Warby Parker has rolled out its own virtual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/how-to\/how-to-use-warby-parkers-new-ar-feature-to-try-on-glasses\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/how-to\/how-to-use-warby-parkers-new-ar-feature-to-try-on-glasses\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/how-to\/how-to-use-warby-parkers-new-ar-feature-to-try-on-glasses\/\" aria-label=\"try-on technology\">try-on technology<\/a>, so customers can see how different eyeglass frames look on their face. This is a departure from their original model, which would ship frame options to the customer to try on in their homes before ordering.<\/p>\n<p>Admittedly, some of these technologies have a long way to go to correctly match skin tones and meet consumer expectations. If your product is one that customers try on, the developments in&nbsp;augmented reality are worth following closely.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reviews And Tutorials<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no such thing as too much information when it comes to marketing your product online. Aim to provide a bounty of customer reviews and tutorials on how to use your products on your website and on any marketplaces where your product is sold. This boosts trust and confidence amongst customers in a major way, as <a href=\"https:\/\/spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu\/_pdf\/Spiegel_Online%20Review_eBook_Jun2017_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu\/_pdf\/Spiegel_Online%20Review_eBook_Jun2017_FINAL.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu\/_pdf\/Spiegel_Online%20Review_eBook_Jun2017_FINAL.pdf\" aria-label=\"95% of shoppers read reviews\">95% of shoppers read reviews<\/a> before making a purchase.&nbsp;And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/marketing-strategies\/video\/video-marketing-funnel-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"color-link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/marketing-strategies\/video\/video-marketing-funnel-strategy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/marketing-strategies\/video\/video-marketing-funnel-strategy\/\" aria-label=\"80% of customers switch between online search and video\">80% of customers switch between online search and video<\/a> when making purchasing choices.<\/p>\n<p>Just as you would\u2019ve trained a salesperson at a brick and mortar store on several talking points and product knowledge in order to sell a product, you need to ensure that customers can find several third-party reviews and recommendations online \u2013 essentially serving the same purpose a salesperson did \u2013 only now in the digital space.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Combining efforts for easy returns, money-back guarantees, and providing all the virtual information a customer may need, can skyrocket customer confidence and result in higher sales.<\/p>\n<div id=\"lightbox-inline-form-7c1698f5-05cb-40b9-8f1d-9c9a0362d4ce\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Published at Thu, 22 Oct 2020 10:18:45 +0000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Customer Confidence Is Key To E-Commerce Success Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-augmented-virtual-reality"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/techclot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/960x0.jpg?fit=959%2C639&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3orZX-S1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}