How To Establish Trust and Connect With Customers Online

London, UK—In its 2020 Diamond Insight Report, released Monday, De Beers emphasized that the global COVID-19 pandemic has hastened already-emerging trends in how consumers shop. Most notably, online is much more important than it was nine months ago. Although many consumers still prefer face-to-face transactions at a physical store—even in the pandemic—the two channels now share space in a “phygital” world that jewelers ignore at their peril.

The following tips from the report will help retailers ensure their websites are ready to meet changing consumer needs and demands.

1. Create trust. There are proven “rules” for establishing trust and communicating credibility online. You must communicate quality at the visceral/ emotional level. First impressions count, and you must communicate positively with the non-conscious (but highly judgmental) emotional parts of your customers’ brains.

Key factors are:

• Professional look and feel of your site. The layout, typography, spacing, high quality product shots, et cetera all have the ability to command immediate ‘surface’ trust. Your online presence should be of the same quality as your physical presence.

• Ease of use and usability. Ensure the site is well-organized, effective, efficient to use, and free from errors. Loading speed is important too.

• Quality copy and content. Avoid meaningless, repetitive copy written specifically for search engines rather than humans.

Instead, provide concise, structured, meaningful, accessible content (which will also perform well with Google search results)

• Up-to-date content. Show the website (and presumably your business) is well-maintained and cared for.

• Display third party verifications and reviews! What others say about you (“reputed” trust) carries more weight than what you say about yourself.

• Make your physical address(es) easy to find on the site. Include pictures, phone number, and a map.

• Name the people behind the store, include bios highlighting their roles and expertise, and consider featuring photos. Consider extending your reach via blogs and social media presence.

3. Highlight your real expertise and experience. Expertise is the second essential component of credibility (in addition to trustworthiness):

• Provide thought leadership, expert opinion, and advice to customers. This could be via blogs, on social media, via callouts on product pages, or more direct and personal via online chat features on your website, Q&As, and even video calls.

• Show longevity if possible. For example, when the store was established, historic blog posts or company history or timeline.