Top 5 Trust Badges You Need To Boost eCommerce Conversion Rates

Published on 11 September, 2022 | 403 views | 7 minutes read

We'll start from the basics, what is a trust badge? A trust badge is a badge or seal that you place on your website whose purpose is meant to instill trust in your potential customers. Trust badges are traditionally visible during the checkout process, but there's a new trend of placing them directly on the home page, as this has been shown to gain traction.

These trust badges let website visitors know that your page is legitimate and that any data they share will be collected through secure third party service providers. Because the trust seal company has agreed to place their badge on your website, customers will know that all the processes taking place in between are safe and secure. 

Usually, trust badges denote security features that keep credit card details and other private information safe. These badges come in different shapes, sizes and signal different things to different customers.

What Are The Best Types Of Trust Badges

There are five main types of trust badges that you can add to your business website. Each one has a different meaning and is used for a different purpose, you can use all five types of trust badges on your site simultaneously, it all depends on what you are trying to achieve. 

1. Guaranteed Safe and Secure Checkout Badge 

Arguably the most important type of trust badge, the secure checkout badge is the seal given when you sign up with a company that provides an SSL certificate. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protects the internet connection and the information that is shared across that connection. This badge indicates that your checkout process can be trusted: the information is encrypted and your customer’s credit card information is safe and secure. This kind of trust can help to improve your conversions. Customer data breaches have become a lot more common and publicized in recent years, from a DDoS attack to phishing scams and more, these are all terms customers will likely have heard now. So any potential customers will need to be sure they can trust you and that you take their data security seriously. 

There are many safe checkout badge options, but the most trusted and recognized badges quickly let your customers know that your site can be trusted. Possibly the most well-known SSL badge is from Symantec – you may recognize them better as Norton, VeriSign or LifeLock. You can also get trust badges that are recognized the world over from PayPal and Shopify.

2. Accepted Payment Trust Badges 

When people see a recognizable brand, it helps them feel more confident and associate trust with that brand, that’s why accepted payment badges are so effective. When you have Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and PayPal badges as your payment options, you boost the level of trust in your website with just a few logos here and there. 

A study conducted by ConversionXL found that when people are familiar with a brand they have a perception of security. “For the most part,” the study said, “greater familiarity also meant a greater feeling of security.” 

You can place these buttons in the footer of your website, and you can also have them listed on your payment page. 

3. Free Shipping And Free Shipping Trust Badge 

Introduce feelings of trust and safety in your customers with a “Free Shipping” and/or “Free Returns” badge. By letting your customers know that they can receive and return any products ordered without any additional fees, you take away some of the perceived risks of ordering from an online store.

This badge has more flexibility in placement and can be used effectively in an array of places across your website. We recommend having a Free Shipping and Free Returns badge on all “Add to Cart” and “Checkout” pages. It can also be effective on your homepage, consider adding it to your header and on your Frequently Asked Questions page, or a dedicated Shipping and Returns page. Gaining the trust of your customers is incredibly important. By offering free shipping and free returns, you are letting your customers know that not only do you believe in the quality of your products, but you also value their happiness and satisfaction above all else. 

This trust badge is a perfect accompaniment to a Money Back Guarantee Badge, if you are choosing to use one.

 

4. Money Back Guarantee Badges 

Possibly the most effective trust badge of all, the money back guarantee badge all but completely eliminates the fear and perceived risk of buying a product or service online. While this doesn’t address any of the technical security issues, it does atleast let potential customers know that you have their best interests in mind. 

If you can use money back guarantee badges, you should display them loud and proud.. You want to make sure that every single customer sees it and takes note. It should be in the same places as your Safe "Checkout Badge" near the Add To Cart" button and the Checkout button. This can help ward off any potential shopping cart abandonment.

5. Third Party Endorsements 

Third party endorsements are all about showing that your business is credible because these programs usually involve an application and review process, they signal to people that you are an established business. If you can’t think of any third party endorsement badges, think about the Better Business Bureau Accredited Business and Google Customer Review badges, two of the most trusted examples. 

A third party endorsement badge does take more work. As mentioned earlier, you need to submit an application, be reviewed, and approved before you can add the badge to your eCommerce site. But the extra work is worth the extra payoff as these badges can have a drastic impact on your conversions. Think about when you shop on Amazon, you look for highly rated items with lots of reviews and even an Amazon Best Seller badge if you can. Think of these third party badges in the same way. They signal to your customer that others have had a great experience buying from your online store. 

These trust badges are usually placed in the footer of your website and should be more prominent than the accepted payment badges. 

Why Your eCommerce Store Needs a Trust Badge 

From years of running tests and researches, a few things have been learned about the world of trust - what customers want, how to best earn their confidence, and more.

It all predicates on these three key points: 

1. Consumers Prefer To Buy From Brands They Trust 

Today, almost anyone can create an eCommerce business. That means modern customers are exponentially inundated with offers, emails, and websites that they have no familiarity with. At the same time, the world’s largest corporations are regularly involved in widely publicized data breaches of their customers’ personal information. It’s no wonder that 40% of shoppers say they no longer buy from brands they love because of trust concerns. 

But trust today is about more than just the brand and its level of familiarity for a potential customer. It’s about the visitor’s experience and point of view, too.

Take Burt’s Bees, a large, well known brand that still saw a significant increase in conversions when displaying trust marks. That’s because brands tend to speak to the level of product trust, not necessarily the online purchase experience on their eCommerce store.

Thus, not only do trust badges work, but they’re also crucial for customers who want to ensure a site and online transaction is safe and secure.

2. Trust Is About More Than Online Security And Personal Information

Modern shopping risks have shifted. Concerns that used to circle solely on website security have now expanded into eCommerce performance, scam avoidance, business practices, shipping fulfillment, and protection of customer data, to name just a few. Based on this (and the test results we’ve seen), there is still a very real need for trust badges, particularly those that address multiple areas of business trust in addition to security.

For example, the Trusted Site system addresses both security (scans for malware, viruses, and valid SSL certificates) and trust concerns (verified business information, shopper identity protection, and issue-free orders). A comprehensive trustmark like this puts consumers at ease throughout every step of the online shopping experience.

3. Trust Badges Regularly Increase Conversion Rates 

Even if security isn’t top of mind when customers prepare to enter their credit card information on the checkout page, it’s at least bottom of mind. 

Key points to note: 

* Trust badges from lesser known online security brands can lower conversion rates.

* Conversion rates were lower in control tests ran on eCommerce sites without a trust badge displayed.

* Trust badges from brands with more widespread recognition are the most likely to increase conversions.