Trust
Provide access
to a privacy policy from every page, and highlight it whenever users
give personal information
Develop
a policy explaining how you use customers' personal information, and
provide access to the policy on every page. Display the link to the
policy statement very prominently wherever users provide personal
information. Access to this policy helps engender trust, especially if
your policy is to never share a customer's personal information with
other organizations without that customer's permission.
Include the following types of information in your
privacy policy statement:
 |
what information is gathered/tracked |
|
how the information is used |
|
with whom the information is shared |
Explain the
benefits users receive from sharing personal information
When asking users to provide personal information,
explain how sharing this information will benefit them. For example,
if you prompt users with an opportunity to register with the site, be
sure you explain the advantages registration offers, such as
personalized content, reduced prices, fast-path purchasing, or a
record of previous purchases. Present the explanation of the users'
benefits, or at least a link to it, wherever and whenever you ask for
personal information. Users will feel more inclined to provide
information if the advantage in doing so is clear.
Provide
mechanisms for controlling how personal information is used
Enable
users to control how their personal information is used, and to change
their preferences at any time. Provide this control whenever and
wherever users provide personal information. Specifically, enable
users to control:
|
whether this information is shared with other
companies |
|
whether they receive updates about products they
have bought from your company |
|
the medium or media through which they would
prefer to be contacted about promotional offers (e.g. phone, e-mail,
and/or postal mail) |
|
whether they receive promotional information and
offers from your company |
Providing this control engenders trust and
increases customer satisfaction.
Be sure that the control mechanism you give users
is consistent with your overall privacy policy. For instance, don't
tell users in your privacy policy that you NEVER share their personal
information with other companies, and then elsewhere ask them if you
can share it.
Use a secure Web
server to collect customer data and complete transactions
Use
secure servers wherever you collect personal information such as
addresses and credit card numbers. Secure servers are essential to
meeting customers' expectations for security and to establishing
trustworthiness. If a site does not use a secure server to collect
personal information, then many users will shop elsewhere. Also,
collecting sensitive information via an insecure server may expose
your company to litigation.
Communicate that
ordering online is secure
Inform
users that transactions on your site are secure. Below are some good
strategies:
|
Provide third-party validations of security, such
as from VeriSignTM (Cheskin Research & Studio
Archetype/Sapient, 1999) |
|
Guarantee that customers will not be held
responsible for paying unauthorized charges that appear on their
accounts as a result of shopping at your site |
|
Use encryption and explain that purchase data are
encrypted and thus securely transmitted |
Questions about security may arise at different
points in the shopping process. For this reason, include brief
security statements on appropriate pages, such as the store front,
order list page (or shopping cart), and order form page. Display a
simple phrase such as "Guaranteed Secure" that links to more detailed
information on a page specifically about security and privacy.
Display
endorsements and affiliations that create a feeling of trust and
security
To
increase the credibility of your site and products, display
validations from third-party sources. One type of validation is
Web-based seals of approval for security and privacy, such as VeriSignTM
and TRUSTe. Research shows that these seals help establish
trustworthiness (Cheskin Research & Studio Archetype/Sapient, 1999).
Similarly, product validations, such as third-party reviews, product
awards and honors, and customer testimonials, are useful in
communicating the quality of your products.
Third-party validations are important for all
sites, but particularly for companies and sites that are lesser known.
Shoppers are wary of doing business with companies they do not know,
and third-party validations add legitimacy and credibility to your
site and products.
When citing endorsements and affiliations,
|
Display seals, awards, and third-party
validations that your users recognize and trust |
|
Republish articles, press clips, etc. from
third-party sources on your own site so that users do not have to
leave your site to read them before completing a purchase (make sure
you receive permission from the original source) |
|
Provide links to the original article (if there
is an online copy from the original source) so that users can verify
its legitimacy and read the full article |
|
Avoid randomly littering pages with seals and
links to reviews; rather display seals in a consistent location, and
neatly group links to reviews and awards |
Provide
background on your company
Provide
a company history and brief mission statement to help establish
credibility. Shoppers want to do their online business with companies
they can trust, and they are more likely to trust a company they know
something about.
Providing this information is particularly
important for sites of lesser known companies that need to create a
feeling of trust. It also introduces prospective employees and
investors to your company.
Provide the company history in the "About _____"
("About IBM", "About Acme", etc.) section of your site. In the history
or mission statement, emphasize the value you offer your customers.
Some sites emphasize their commitment to quality, and some
sites/companies emphasize their innovativeness. Project the image that
you want to project and that fits with your business plan.