Every day, customers are exposed to advertisements from brands selling products. Therefore, people become more cautious every time a company approaches them in any way. They think companies will incite them to purchase products they don’t need and keep insisting, sometimes making them feel bad when they say no.
While you might have found an effective strategy to catch their eye and make them purchase your product online, building trust with customers doesn’t stop the minute they have placed an order. As a matter of fact, the post-purchase experience is just as important as the pre-purchase experience, as your customer is still waiting for the parcel to be delivered.
Learn more about the reasons why customers’ trust is important and what you can do to increase trust in your brand.
The pre-parcel anxiety
Customers may have various concerns after placing an order, such as "Will the product be as I expect it to be?" and "Will it meet my needs and expectations?” They may worry about the delivery service, wondering things like "Will my package get lost?" "Will it be damaged when it arrives?" or "Will it be delivered on time?”
Where does pre-parcel anxiety come from?
Once they buy something, customers will experience feelings of ownership, even if they don’t have it in their hands yet. This means they feel like the product is theirs after they order it. They don’t like to wait between the moment they pay and the moment they get the actual product because they know many things can happen in between.
If you’d like to learn more details about the pre-parcel anxiety phenomenon, we wrote a blog dedicated to the topic here:
Customers don’t trust brands
The pre-parcel anxiety can be explained by the fact that customers often find it hard to fully trust brands. They may have had bad experiences with companies, experiences that have taught them to be cautious and not trust the company they buy from. This trend of mistrust is increasing, with 77% of customers saying their mistrust is growing.
Expectations are also increasing, with 71% of consumers saying they are more frustrated by poor customer service than they used to be. While customers become less tolerant, the companies that enhance their post-purchase experience will be the ones that stand out from the competition and that customers will remember.
Companies that fail to improve their customer service are likely to lose their customers, as 67% of consumers say that once a company loses their trust, it will never get it back.
How to increase customers’ trust in your brand
Give customers as much information as you can about your products
Customers don’t like it when a product they ordered online is completely different from their expectations when it arrives. If this happens, it will definitely decrease the trust they have in your brand and might cause them to refrain from ever purchasing from your company again.
The difficult part about ordering online is that customers can’t see what they order, so they have to trust you when they decide to purchase. This is why they are more likely to be disappointed if the product is not what they expected it to be.
To avoid this, give them as much information as you can about the product (e.g., measurements, materials, features). Include various high-quality photos of your product to show how the product looks but also how it can be used.
Increase visibility over your delivery service
While customers worry the product might not fit their expectations, they also worry about the delivery. They might fear the package will get lost, be damaged, or arrive late. The “ownership enhancement” effect mentioned earlier also has an impact on customers’ delivery experiences, as customers are less willing to wait once they feel as though the product belongs to them.
If you want to alleviate this anxiety while reducing the number of inbound calls, you must provide your customers with more visibility into the status of their delivery. By letting them know what is happening with their package, you’re being transparent with them and telling them they can trust you.
Some delivery software offers real-time delivery tracking. This is greatly appreciated by customers, as it allows them to know precisely when the delivery is coming so they can plan their day accordingly. That way, they will feel like they are cared for and that their time matters to you. This is one of the most effective ways to increase customers’ trust in your brand.
Increase reviews from your customers
While customers have a hard time trusting brands, they are much more likely to trust other consumers who have used your products before. This is why it is so important to increase the number of reviews on your website and social media platforms. In fact, 91% of customers say they read online reviews prior to making a purchase. If many customers give positive reviews about your brand, new customers are more likely to trust your company.
However, asking for a review should be considered intelligently, and it is important to send a request when customers are the most likely to write about their experience. This is why some delivery software has created an email/SMS review system that automatically sends a review request once the delivery is completed. If the review is negative, you will receive a notification and the negative review will appear on your dashboard. That way, you can take immediate action to fix the potential issue that caused a bad delivery experience for the customer.
Meet CIGO Tracker
CIGO Tracker is a best-in-class, cloud-based platform to increase deliveries, service calls, and pick-ups for your business. It scales as you need it and provides a state-of-the-art, “last mile” delivery experience that will thrill your customers.
Driven by innovation, an unwavering commitment to customer service, honesty, and trust, CIGO delivers the best, most flexible delivery tracking software in the industry.
At CIGO, we are always on the lookout for new features that we can add to our delivery software to improve your daily operations. If you would like to learn more about our delivery software, book a demo today.
Would you like to receive the latest trends in eCommerce delivery? Subscribe to our newsletter :
