What is Trust?

Online trust is similar to a contract between a retailer and a customer. Trust is an expectation that grows as customers interact with your brand. Those interactions span a range of touch points including print and broadcast advertisements, catalogs, promotional mailings, employee contact, as well as your retail and online stores. Each one is equally important; each can make or break the trust your customers and online visitors have or expect in your company.

Trust is in fact what drives all commercial transactions between a retailer and customer. When you make a purchase in a retail store, you take it on trust the products are fit for their intended purpose. You trust that if it does not work, or if you change your mind about the purchase, the retailer will accept the returned product. You trust that when your credit card is handed to a sales associate, the proper amount of money is securely transferred. These are basic trust expectations customers have with retail establishments and with online websites as well. And if that trust is broken, the relationship is void and very difficult to rebuild.

There are many components which contribute to how the customer experiences your brand, and the level of trust people have in your ability to deliver on your 'brand promise