As one popular quote reminds us, “Trust is a fragile thing—difficult to build, easy to break.” Although trust in ecommerce is less tangible than a metric like ROI, it’s an important factor customer use when they’re deciding whether to purchase a product from your online furniture store. What kind of messages is your website sending to customers? When they’re finished browsing, are they ready to buy, or still sitting on the fence?
Consider these five ways ecommerce furniture stores can boost customer trust. After all, reassuring shoppers in a few key areas boosts the likelihood they’ll become customers for the long haul. 
Establish Social Proof
At the end of the day, regardless of how clever the copy, or spot-on the brand voice, shoppers know sellers approach marketing and web design from an angle. As a result, your website visitors are much more inclined to believe other customers than you. This is why they’ll look for adequate social proof to determine your store’s legitimacy in areas like customer service.
If a shopper is considering buying a chair from your website, they’ll look for ratings and reviews to find reassurance on matters of quality, shipping, appearance and more. You can take it one step farther by crowdsourcing user-generated content and displaying it on social media platforms in addition to your website. When visitors to your store can see your products “in the wild” through other buyers’ photographs and videos, they have more reason to believe in your brand.
Optimize Product Listings
Unsurprisingly, buying a piece of furniture sight unseen from a web store offering few details fails to instill confidence in online shoppers. To sell your furniture online, provide product listings with enough details to convince shoppers to convert. Since your shoppers lack the ability to sit in chairs, pull out drawers, inspect craftsmanship and run their hands over materials, the next-best alternative is visual proof, coupled with a rundown of specifications. Make sure every product listing includes HD photographs from multiple angles and a list of important facts and figures (material, measurements, warranty information and more).
Prioritize Customer Service
Customers trust accessible, transparent brands over elusive ones. The easier it is to get in touch with your customer service department, the more likely shoppers are to purchase and stay loyal over time. Make sure your store has the right people in place to answer emails and phone calls in a timely manner. Take your customer service plan one step farther and offer live chat during store hours so your representatives can talk to customers before they buy—it’s a great way to boost average order value and forge a working relationship with shoppers.
Provide Useful Content
Although it seems counterintuitive at first, brands must pick and choose their times to sell. Customer relationships entail more than a one-way onslaught of CTAs. Providing helpful content in the form of how-to blogs, instructional videos and infographics is a great way to offer your shoppers genuine value and establish your reputation as a trustworthy brand.
Display Trust and Security Badges
Customers factor cybersecurity into their perception of trust. Displaying site seals (for antivirus companies, payment providers, ecommerce platforms, the Better Business Bureau and more) reassures shoppers you take their privacy seriously. Third-party certification from familiar brands demonstrates your legitimacy to shoppers. Case in point: 25 percent of shoppers said seeing a PayPal verified badge gave them the best sense of security. If you accept PayPal for furniture transactions, make sure you remind customers with a visible badge.
Eager to increase sales and customer retention for your website? Start with the five ways ecommerce furniture stores like yours can boost customer trust.
