Shazeeye's Blog Thoughts on User Experience, Technology and Business

Building Trust on E-Commerce Homepages

A Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) survey in 2006 showed that 70% of terminated online purchases are due to lack of transaction trust, costing e-commerce retailers $1.9 billion in lost revenues. Studies have also shown that 60-80% of visitors to an e-commerce site are first time visitors and that trust is the single most important issue to convert visitors into buyers.

These facts led me to conduct my own research on trust at first glance or factors building trust on e-commerce homepages. I studied 4 e-commerce sites (sites sold diamonds, books, toys and electronics) with an eye-tracking study and found 26 trust building factors on e-commerce homepages:

1. Trust seals such as PayPal, McAfee, Better Business Bureau, VeriSign, etc
2. Payment alternatives such as Bill Me Later
3. Well defined categories
4. Free Shipping
5. Professional looking images/animation
6. Professional layout - color, font, organization, visual harmony
7. Ability to track orders
8. Buying Advice/Guidance/Expert Suggestions
9. Professional Reviews such as reviews by Economic Times and Wall Street Journal
10. User Testimonials
11. Popular Brands displayed
12. Big Shopping Cart icon on the top right corner
13. Deals/offers updated daily
14. Returns/Exchanges available
15. Locations across many countries
16. Product images with prices
17. 1-800 number available
18. Professional logo
19. Relevant details in 'About Us' section such as how long the site has been in business
20. User derived content such as ratings, blogs and communities
21. Perception of a wide range of products
22. Perception of finding products easily with search and filters
23. Competitor comparisons available
24. Awards for the site displayed
25. Relevant Ads/Banners only displayed
26. Trust-inducing words used such as certified and conflict-free

For details read the complete article here.

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