Ecommerce, just like life, is full of surprises and the unexpected. In life, many of us welcome unexpected twists and turns as an antidote to the mundane. However, when shopping online, surprises are... less welcome. 'Your delivery has been pushed back. Surprise!' 'Your item came damaged. Surprise!' 'Your return window has closed. Surprise!'
Building customer loyalty and trust means consistently executing the service level agreements that the modern ecommerce shopper has come to expect; and expectations have only continued to increase. For example, a study by Convey found that 42% of online shoppers expect their orders to be delivered within two days, and not being able to meet that benchmark means a loss in sales as Baymard Institute found that slow shipping is one of the primary reasons for cart abandonment
Trust is a tricky thing to build. Companies spend decades and billions of dollars to build loyal customer bases. Lucky for you, Amazon’s customer centric obsession has solidified them in the pantheon of brand trust. Brands who take advantage of the trust equity Amazon has built see an instant jump in conversion and Best Seller Rank.
Let’s hone in on the specifics of what brands can do to surprise customers in a positive way through memberships they love, listings they find helpful, and customer service that goes the extra mile.
1. Prime Badge = Instant Increase in Trust
If you’ve done any browsing on Amazon, you’ve seen the notorious Prime badge. Statistically speaking, if you are in the US, you are more likely have access to a Prime Membership in your household than not. When featured on a product listing, this image symbolizes trust and authority as these products have met specific criteria to offer Prime services. Customers have come to associate Prime with excellent buying experience, fast and reliable shipping, and high-quality products. It provides customers with the assurance that what they are buying is worth the money spent, generating both a solid reputation and an increase in sales for your brand.
Why Customers Trust Prime
Products who wear the Prime badge have increased BSR (Best Seller Rank), often-times win the Buy Box, and are a customer’s first choice since these products:
- Have low cancellation rates (less an 2.5%)
- Have high tracking rates (greater than 95%)
- Have low late shipment rates (less than 4%)
- Have a high on-time delivery rate (greater than 93.5%)
Ways to Leverage Prime Badges
- FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon): You maintain product ownership while utilizing Amazon’s fulfillment network.
- Amazon 1P: Amazon purchases inventory and sells directly to the customers.
- SFP (Seller Fulfilled Prime): Using your own fulfillment network while offering free 1–2-day shipping with the expectation that you meet on-time delivery requirements.
"Having a Prime badge is something customers have come to know, love, and trust. 70% of Amazon customers are Prime subscribers, meaning the convenience that, that little Prime badge holds showing fast and free shipping is the key to a clean shopping experience. This makes sense for the customer as they know they can get those products efficiently. From the seller point of view, there’s the importance of shipping at a fast pace, as well as that Prime badging relative to the influence it has on the Amazon algorithm. The importance of these qualities (shipping and Prime eligibility) will continue to be important to grow and maintain Buy Box percentages.” - Keeleigh Marr, Sr. Channel Manager
2. Quality Brands Leverage Enhance Product Listings
Think about what you look for in a good product while shopping on Amazon. More than likely your first thought revolves around those products that have high rankings and feature a lot of details. Just from a glance, these are products that you feel can be trusted to provide a great experience and value. The same can be said for your customers. As they look at your brand, you will want to showcase all your best qualities that grab their attention and make your product seem like the obvious choice. Luckily, there’s a few strategic ways to do that.
Improve Listing Rank
- Optimize listings through SEO incentives like title, description, keywords, and categories.
- Earn product reviews and stay on top of answering buyer questions. For new or struggling products, Amazon offers a Vine program to provide items to impactful Amazon reviewers to build up authentic reviews and signal trust to customers.
- Use A+ content to showcase product qualities, your brand’s story, and other information that can help customers learn more about your brand.
Create an Omni-Channel Experience
Your brand presence on one marketplace should be consistent on all others. Ensuring that your different marketplace stores and profiles offer the same experience, products, and details helps customers know that you are a trusted and reliable source. This also takes into account brand control.
Brand control is the act of monitoring your online presence and exerting authority over distribution channels, marketplace selling strategy, and unauthorized sellers. The objective of this is to create a seamless journey for your customers, making their experiences all the same regardless of where they choose to buy. This can be difficult to accomplish if you have multiple resellers (both authorized and unauthorized) displaying your brand or products in a multitude of ways.
Lack of consistency results in increased negative reviews, impeded advertising capabilities, price erosion, and possible issues with inventory management. All these factors create a less than ideal experience for your customers resulting in decreased trust.
Amazon offers a few solutions to help protect brands against things like fraud and abuse that puts their control at risk. These include:
- Brand Registry. Protect your intellectual property (IP) and manage your listings.
- IP Accelerator. Obtain intellectual property rights and expedite your access to brand building and protection benefits.
- Transparency. Protect your brand and customers from counterfeit products.
- Project Zero. Access the unprecedented ability to immediately remove counterfeit listings.
3. Great Customer Service Keeps People Coming Back
In an effort to reduce lost revenue, we are seeing more and more companies and platforms pull back on customer service promises, but how you treat your customers still strongly impacts your bottom-line. A HubSpot study found that 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies who offer excellent customer service. And creating a loyal customer base does more than build your reputation as increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by at least 25%.
Create an Experience
- Technology. Use tools like AI and machine learning to your advantage by creating a smooth customer journey from browsing, order placement, tracking, and reverse logistics.
- Omni-channel. Create consistency both on and off marketplaces. When a customer places an order, asks a question, or needs to return an item they should all experience the same level of care and interaction.
- Personalization. Adapt their experience based on what you know about the customer. This can take many forms through the customer journey including surveys about past products, marketing based on location or viewing history, and services based on purchased items.
- Feedback. Gather data and information on your customers' experiences and expectations to better understand their needs. This helps pin-point areas of improvement to create better products and attract and retain customers.
"Amazon.com embodies the symbiotic relationship between customer experience and trust. Boasting over 200 million Prime members worldwide and a stellar 4.7 out of 5 customer satisfaction rating, Amazon has set the gold standard for e-commerce trust. This trust is cultivated through a seamless shopping experience, on-time deliveries, competitive pricing, and a hassle-free return policy. This trust is a testament to Amazon's commitment to addressing customer issues promptly and efficiently.
Recent surveys reveal that 87% of Amazon customers trust the platform for quality products and reliable service. This trust is a testament to Amazon’s commitment to addressing customer issues promptly and efficiently. This is the bar that any seller on Amazon must withhold to succeed and stand out, as exceptional customer service has become a competitive edge” - Kurt Anderzhon, Sr. Manager, Channels Performance
Pro Tip: If you are struggling with bandwidth ensuring all your customers are taken care of, Amazon offers Customer Service where Amazon takes care of customer service on your behalf for your self-fulfilled orders.
Get it All Under One Roof
The success of your brand relies heavily on the experience you create and trust you establish with loyal customers. Instead of stressing about the next drop-shipper devaluing your product or fulfillment issues causing delivery delays, partner with Spreetail to get all the solutions you need under one resource.
Once you become a brand partner our expert merchants cover the cost and management of your brand control needs and monitor marketplace expansion to create an omnichannel presence while our marketers optimize and advertise in a way that resonates with your customers. Then, following it up with our same-day fulfillment and customer service centers, we ensure everyone Is taken care of to generate a consistent fan-base.
Get in touch with our team to learn more about these services and others we implement to help your brand accelerate to its full potential.
B2B Creative Marketing Manager
