5 ways to build customer trust for your new business [latest research]

Customer trust is essential to the success of a business.

According to polls, 81% of UK consumers say trust is a deciding factor when it comes to making a purchase with a company.

Of course, trust isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s something that needs to be cultivated and earned.

There are simply no shortcuts when it comes to building customer trust.

With this in mind, here are five seeds of customers trust that, if watered well, will grow and bear fruit over time.

1. Put quality on a pedestal

Walt Disney once said ‘Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends’.

And things turned out pretty well for him.

According to research by global advertising company JCDecaux, product quality is the main factor that builds trust amongst UK consumers.

Researchers from Geneva School of Economics and Management at the University of Geneva in Switzerland recently identified eight factors that play into customers’ perceptions of product quality.

These are…

• Aesthetics

• Durability

• Ease of use

• Features – or the secondary aspects of a product that the researchers called ‘the bells and whistles’

• Performance

• Reliability

• Serviceability

• Material – including robustness and finishings

So, small business will do well to consider all of these factors during product development.

2. Offer value

According to research, 72% of UK consumers say that value plays an important role in developing trust.

But what is value exactly?

According to psychologists, a number of factors play into customers’ perception of value.

Shouting about these factors on your website and in your marketing can help you build trust.

People are more likely to think a product has value if…

• They feel it provides a significant physical, logical or emotional benefit to them

• They feel they are getting something rare or scarce

• They feel they are buying something unique

• They feel that a lot of time has gone into producing a product

• They think a product will be able to save them time

• They believe a product reinforces a part of their identity – for example, consumers will pay a premium for vinyl records if it affirms their identity as a serious music lover.

3. Be professional

It goes without saying that professionalism is a key way to build customer trust.

There are a lot of scammers out there – statistics suggest that phishing scams, in which cyber criminals pretend to be bona fide companies and brands to extort data and money from innocent people – rose by 220% during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The easiest way to tell a scammer apart from a genuine business is through the scammers’ lack of professionalism.

The emails and websites of scammers will often feature typos, errors, security red flags and branding inconsistencies.

Their email addresses will also look unprofessional. Many emails from scammers will be set from free email accounts or will feature spelling errors.

If you’re not currently using a professional email account for your business, you should really consider one.

At tsoHost, prices for a Professional Email, which gives you an email address that perfectly mirrors your domain name – start at just 99p a month.

You can also currently get a free Professional Email Starter for the first year with every .co.uk, .com, .uk, .org.uk, .org, .net, .club, .xyz, .info and .me domain.

4. Be transparent

Research suggests that 94% of shoppers are loyal to companies that operate with transparency.

These businesses operate in a way that is open, honest and straightforward with customers.

No doubt you strive to be all of the above, however, there are a few ways you can convey this better to your customers.

These include…

• Letting customers see behind the scenes – today’s consumers want to know the story of a company as well as its products. They want to be able to find out about a company’s ethics and philosophies, so make these clear on your website.

• Use everyday language on your website – try to talk to your customers the way they talk to you. Clear your website and marketing materials of jargon, corporate language and legalese.

• Acknowledge mistakes – no company is perfect. If you do make an error, don’t brush it under the carpet.

5. Have a heart

Research indicates that the ethics and social responsibility philosophy of a company plays a significant role in developing customer trust.

One study found that ethics were responsible for building trust in 56% of consumers.

In addition to this, polls have found that 66% of consumers were willing to switch brands in an effort to support ethical companies.

So, if your company has its own ethics, champions certain causes, or gives back to the community in any way, make this clear on your website.