For online sites, building trust is key

Consumers are inherently cautious of online shopping sites.

Nearly half say they have terminated an order or abandoned their shopping cart due to security fears, according to a 2009 survey of 516 adults conducted by Harris Interactive and security technology company McAfee Inc.

Given these kinds of concerns, businesses -- particularly smaller ones -- have to work even harder to build trust within the online community. Everything from the look of a site to its usability can play a key role in whether a transaction is made or lost, say experts.

"Everybody has a concern when purchasing online," says Stephen Schrump, co-author of "Electronic Commerce Relationship: Trust by Design" (Prentice Hall; $34.99) and chief executive of PitchPoint Solutions in Toronto, which provides software solutions for the financial services market. "Trust is still the number one factor."

With that said, there are ways to build trust for your own e-commerce site:

Give it curb appeal: A site's design can be a big factor in whether a consumer feels comfortable enough to purchase from it, says Schrump. "It needs to have continuity with what you'd find in traditional sites you have trust in already," he explains. Look at larger e-commerce sites to assess their look and feel, he suggests.

Display trust: Consumers are often leery when dealing with smaller or unknown brands, notes Schrump. According to the Harris-McAfee survey, 63 percent of consumers won't purchase from a site that doesn't display a trustmark or security policy.

Visibly show them all the measures you're taking to protect them, he suggests. Companies like Thawte, an online security provider, and McAfee offer trustmarks that can be displayed on sites, indicating it's been tested for vulnerabilities. It also pays to register your company with the Better Business Bureau and display its online seal, says Schrump.

Get an SSL/Extended Validation SSL certificate: An SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate ensures your customers' information is safe/encrypted during transit to a third-party site, explains Craig Spiezle, executive director of the not-for-profit Online Trust Alliance in Bellevue, Wash. It's displayed by both a padlock icon by your browser and the https:// prefix in the URL address bar. EV SSL certificates build upon SSL by validating the site owner is a legal entity with a physical address, he notes. Sites with EV SSL provide visitors a "Trust indicator" that turns the address bar green, Spiezle said. They're generally more costly than a standard SSL certificate.

Stay current: Outdated links or images that don't download aren't comforting to an already untrusting consumer, says Spiezle, adding, "the level of forgiveness is much lower for a small business than it is for a larger brand."

Provide location: A consumer wants confidence that an online retailer is real, and failing to provide a physical address is definitely a turnoff, says Spiezle.

Offer testimonials: Customer testimonials can be the added reassurance consumers need to feel that you are a trustworthy business, says Bruce Chamoff of Hot Web Ideas, a web design, Internet marketing and website security firm in North Babylon. Also, listing some of your most prestigious or largest clients helps, says Chamoff.

Provide prompt customer support: Respond to customer inquiries quickly or have online live customer service assistance, says Chamoff.

Confirm: Confirmation e-mails of purchases are a trust builder, adds Chamoff. "It assures customers that their transaction went through," he notes. It also enables them to follow up, says Cesar Garcia of Mayoria Global, a Melville financial education and development company that sells financial literacy software and videos in its online store.

Garcia, working with Chamoff, uses confirmation e-mails and also provides a visible privacy policy and periodic security scans via its merchant services provider, Capital One. "You have to do your part in protecting the customer," says Garcia.