Far too often, small business owners jump to the conclusion that the reason for a lost sale is their price point. What they often fail to realize is that the online customer abandons the cart because there is a trust issue with the site. Unless you have a long-term relationship with a customer or you also run a brick-and-mortar store that the customer has seen or been in, it can sometimes be hard to build that trust for a customer to make a purchase. You have to remember that mega online sites like Amazon did not gain the trust of customers the first day they opened. They had to have a plan to build trust.

Unlike a physical location, customers who come to your online store do not have the experience of touching or feeling what they may be purchasing. It is not only your brand that customers need to trust, but the quality of what you are selling. You could have a great brand, but if quality is not delivered or at the very least perceived, then you will not succeed.

Before you start trying to build that trust, you have to know the factors that go into what customers are looking for. You could have the best products at the best prices, but if you do not have a good online reputation, you will not gain new customers’ trust. Don’t forget that there are hundreds of other factors that impact customer trust online – everything from how professional the website design looks, to endorsements from industry organizations, to customer reviews and even the quality of you product photos.

Your goal should be to build loyal customers who will not only be returning customers, but are also willing to write reviews and recommendations about your company and its products. You not only need those reviews on your site, but also on sites like Google and Yelp – places people look for reviews and customer-service issues online. These days, everyone can be an online critic or praise a business. Your job is to deliver what customers are looking for and make sure that your customer service is on top of any potential issues.

So how do you start the journey of building loyal, returning online customers? Well, the first step is having a website that gives a great first impression and addresses any potential customer service issues. Your customer service contacts have to be very easy to find – and you need to have defined policies that are easy to understand. Another good strategy is to have a clearly marked “Live Chat” support area for pre-purchase questions.

Part of the first impression of your website has to be the speed it loads and that it is mobile friendly. Without these, you could be losing potential customers before they even look at your product lines! You could have an attractive site with nice colours and lots of pretty pictures. But if you have too many scripts that create a lot of bells and whistles, your site may slow down or have problems for customers on slower connections or mobile devices. Your designer not only has to optimize your site for speed, but for compatibility on every browser and potential device, so that your customers can enter your e-commerce site easily and quickly.

Do not hide your social media sites. Embrace them and show them off. Let your potential customer see links to your Google page, Facebook page and your Yelp page. This demonstrates that you are proud of your online reputation. Encourage past customers to leave reviews or comments on your social profiles. Perhaps even give away coupons for future purchases when they make a review or send a customer to you.

Big warning here: Do not pad your profiles with fake reviews from fake customers. Not only will the review site give them little attention, your next potential customer that sees them with read right through the fact the reviews were too glowing and the person who made them has never posted any other reviews. If you look at some review websites for companies that offer office space or virtual office services, you will see multiple reviews that are a perfect score. The problem is that these are often fake reviews.

Finally, how secure is your e-commerce site from hackers and identity theft? Sign up for anti-hacking programs and proudly display the seal or recognition that you get from the service provider. These go a long way to assuring shoppers or potential shoppers that their transactions will always be secure.

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U.S. start-ups should begin international expansion in Canada

18 King Street East Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario
M5C 1C4 Canada
416-574-1112

18 King Street East Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5C 1C4
416-574-1112

Site Designed By Giant Shoe Creative.

Our Amenities

We are by far the most experienced and best coworking team in the market – established in 1980

We are the highest Tech centre in the market

We have a very modern, high quality, brand new facility located at:

18 King Street East, Suite 1400

Toronto, Ontario M5C 1C4 Canada

- 18 King Street East is a boutique Class A building – East of Yonge: easy street parking, less traffic, excellent restaurants and lovely parks – St. James Park @ Church & King and Berczy Park @ Wellington East, Scott and Front Streets – Very high energy and engaging area
- A few steps (a few seconds) to the Yonge Street subway/underground PATH network and streetcar available outside building
- Building is located in Toronto's vibrant financial district
- Plenty of parking available in the area including street parking and reserved parking in the 18 King building
- Adjacent to the building huge outdoor food courtyard - Beer Bistro www.beerbistro.com and Craft Beer Market www.craftbeermamrket.ca restaurants and bars with onsite catering services
- Onsite amenities: Tim Horton's, Beer Bistro, Convenience store and Starbucks across the street
- Nearby amenities: underground PATH network, numerous restaurants, banking, Starbucks plus a wide array of nearby shops and services
- New modernized office layout fully furnished with meeting spaces and training rooms plus café lounge area
- We are leaders in the service of training/meeting rooms with full conference facilities, high quality hot and cold catering
- Largest training room and conference facilities accommodate up to 60 people classroom style
- Ultra-high-speed - 1 GIG pipe = 1,000 x 1000 fiber-optic network, which will deliver internet connection speeds faster than most North American services
- Private shower room
- Indoor Reserved Parking at the current building rental rate
- Bicycle parking
- Rent a space to accommodate your team for meetings, training sessions, corporate events or coworking space or flexible office space for one day, one week, one month or one year, or whatever term suits your business
- Telsec has over 650 locations in 40 different countries worldwide available for their clients. Office clients receive up to 8 hours of meeting space per month at no charge at any ABCN member location. Plus, Office and Virtual Office clients may rent a space from any member location at special member rates which varies depending on the location
- King Edward Hotel is located across the street - recently completed a $40 million renovation and boutique hotels close by within walking distance

Dining and entertainment at high quality restaurants only minutes away – Carisma, Terroni, Woods Restaurant & Bar and Michelin Rated - Restaurant 20 Victoria. Plus numerous lunch and takeout eateries nearby

Please check out our 70 second video on our home page or click here:

Take a look at our facilities www.telsec.net

Telsec will Customize Your Client’s Office(s) Layout to Meet Their Requirements.

You are welcome to drop-in any-time, a quick call would be appreciated to ensure our availability Vanessa 416-574-1112 or Josie 416-606-4349 or e-mail josie@telsec.net.

How to Gain Trust for Your E-Commerce Business

Looking to Learn More?

U.S. start-ups should begin international expansion in Canada

Advantages of Live Seminars Over Virtual Seminars

How to Gain Trust for Your E-Commerce Business

Looking to Learn More?

U.S. start-ups should begin international expansion in Canada

Advantages of Live Seminars Over Virtual Seminars

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