Conversion Optimization Test Idea Trust Booster In The Online Shop
Management Summary
Find the right trust booster with precision
In 2005, four researchers, all employees of well-known US universities, investigated the question ofwhich trust boosters different types of websites should promoteto gain the trust of users and thus make more sales. Published in the renowned Journal of Marketing, such a study offers us online marketers the chance to draw inspiration from the empirically collected data for our own tests and to check whether our own website can be classified into the results!
The categories
Let’s start with the key data of the study before we look directly at the results: Over 6,500 users from 25 websites were surveyed, which in turn were grouped into eight website types:
- Automotive (e.g. carpoint.com)
- Financial (e.g. marketwatch.com)
- Computer (e.g. dell.com)
- Sports (e.g. nba.com)
- Travel (e.g. cheaptickets.com)
- Internet retailers (e.g. amazon.com)
- Community (e.g. foodtv.com)
- Portals, search engines (e.g. aol.com)
The researchers examined eight so-called trust amplifiers through which a user gains or maintains trust in a website:
- Data protection
- Security
- Navigation and presentation
- Brand awareness
- Advice
- Order processing
- Community features
- Freedom from errors
The results
The study was able to statistically demonstrate the following relationships:
1. The Confidence Booster “Data protection“ is particularly important for websites where ahigh data information riskfor users. An example of this would be travel portals, communities and online retailers, as particularly sensitive user data is transmitted during a transaction (bank details, whereabouts, etc.).
2. The Confidence Booster “Navigation and presentation“ is a crucial factor for websites withhigh information density. The researchers include aspects such as the visual appearance, layout, images and user-friendliness in this category. Pages in the sports, portals and online retailers categories should attach particular importance to these.
3. The Confidence Booster “Brand awareness“ was forall website types(except portals) a decisive factor for trust. It turned out to be most important for the automotive, financial, computer and community types.
4. The Confidence Booster “Advice“, e.g. in the form of live advice, telephone hotlines, etc., is an important driver forinformation-intensive websites, whose products require a high level of consumer involvement. The automotive, computer, travel and internet retailer site types in particular should promote the topic of advice.
5. The Confidence Booster “Order processing“ is essential for building trust, especially when it comes to high-priced productshigh consumer involvementdemand. The users surveyed found error-free and rapid order processing to be important for site types such as travel and online retailers.
6. The Confidence Booster “Flawlessness“ is forallexaminedPage typesof central importance when it comes to building trust on websites.
So what do these results bring you?
- Flawlessnesscan actually no longer be described as an amplifier, but rather is oneMinimum requirementsfor serious websites.
- TheBrand awarenessis a key differentiator both online and offline and creates trust. If you have onestrong brandhave already built,to useBe sure to include this asset on the website, as it is an invaluable advantage over the competition.
- The results of this study don’t seem particularly surprising, but they are thought-provoking. What type of product or service do you sell and which trust-enhancing measures should you invest in as a priority in order to generate more sales?
- You should also not blindly rely on study results from large research institutions. Every website is unique and therefore the findings may or may not apply to you. But they can help you get there fasterHypotheses and test ideasto reach.
- Andthe most important learning: Not only test the placement of different trust booster seals, but also which ones are most suitable for your offer!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!kontakt@e-dialog.group
Source: Bart, Yakov/Shankar, Venakatesh/Sultan, Fareena/Urban, Glen L. (2005). Are the drivers and role of online trust the same for all web sites and consumers? A large-scale exploratory empirical study. Journal of marketing, 69/4, pp. 133-152
