You probably know by now that convincing the consumer to buy your product isn’t a piece of cake. There are plenty of factors that make customers nervous about shopping online. But if your business isn’t making an effort to convince them that you’re the one, you’re losing out on potential revenue.

Here is how you convince a sceptical customer.

Avoid gimmicky sales content

“Buy this product now because it’s awesome.” Sound familiar?

Your product is probably fantastic, but just telling the customer it is makes your copy sound gimmicky. You want to avoid any content that sounds like you tore a page out of an infomercial. That is to say, your copy has to be original. But most important of all, its awesomeness must be found in its value.

But how do you create value?

Apart from making revenue, why are you selling the product?  That’s the question you should be asking. The answer should be something along the lines of providing a solution to problems your potential customers face. This is where your product provides value. Your content must illustrate this value as much as possible.

Another factor you need to consider is that you’re not the only one offering this solution. So you need to put more effort into showing why your product is better than a competitor’s. This can include qualities such as better craftsmanship, competitive price, long lifespan and an extended warranty. Whatever it is that separates your product from the competition, make sure to include it in your content.

The visuals are important

Don’t underestimate the power of an image or video. These are strong signals to a consumer that your product is tangible, and alluring. If you’re selling shoe laces, for example, but don’t have an image of them, how’s the customer supposed to know what they look like? Even worse, if your images are low grade, it sends a signal to the customer that the product is also low grade. This is regardless of whether the shoelace was fashioned out of titanium steel and sprinkled with 9 carat gold flakes.

Make those visuals look like they were taken from Paris Fashion Week or, better yet, a James Bond action scene!

Provide social proof

While your website might look like it’s more at home on a fashion runway than online, this is not enough to convince the customer to purchase your products. They still don’t trust you. And why should they? You’re trying to make money. But they will trust other customers. So your secret weapon are those who have used your product, and you can use this to your advantage by adding a review section under every product.

And don’t filter out the average ratings; that’ll make your product too good to be true. In other words, customers will think you made up those reviews.

Make a point to deliver good service

The online world can’t exist without the offline world. That’s where your customers exist and that’s where they’re probably trying to use your product. That means you have to make it a top priority to provide exceptional customer service. If you say you’re going to deliver a product in a day, it better be delivered within a day. If you’re late, you better throw in something extra to apologise. In short, be the business your customer loves doing business with. If you can master the art of customer care, you won’t go wrong, even when you’re in the wrong.

Have some more tips on how to win over sceptical customers? Share them in the comments.