Familiar payment methods are the most trustworthy feature of a website, with 77% of customers agreeing, while spelling errors and pop-up adverts are the most untrustworthy, according to new research.
An unhappy user will leave a website within 10 – 20 seconds, so making good first appearance is critical. AddictiveTips.com found that 95% of internet shoppers would leave a website if they deemed it untrustworthy – with millions of options a few clicks away they won’t hesitate to find a competitor.
To keep users on a website for longer, businesses should ensure that customers know they can be trusted.
But which features of a website build confidence and make users trust it enough to follow through with a purchase? AddictiveTips.com set out to investigate. They surveyed 4,503 online users around the world to uncover the results. The findings found that 88% have never made a purchase from a website they thought was untrustworthy. Unsurprisingly, fraud is the biggest fear among 79% shoppers – but with 54% stating they come across untrustworthy websites once per week, how can their fears be put to rest?
The most trustworthy website features according to customers
After asking online shoppers to choose five website features, AddicitiveTips.com found that having familiar payment methods is the biggest indicator of a trustworthy website. A whopping 77% of respondents state that without payment options they already trust, they’re not likely to make a purchase.
The second most trustworthy website feature is having quality reviews. Alleviating concerns, more than 6 in 10 (62%) agree that showcasing useful reviews that can be found easily makes them more likely to follow through.
Recognised trust seals are in third place as 59% deem safe checkout, accepted payment and third-party badges trustworthy.
Following as the fourth and fifth most trustworthy features are SSL certificates (55%) and having an active address and phone number listed (54%) as more than half of respondents favour them.
The least trustworthy website features according to customers
Interestingly, pop-up adverts are the biggest indicator of an untrustworthy website among customers. 4 in 5 (80%) would be pushed out of making a purchase if a business’s page overused pop-ups.
Spelling and grammatical errors are the second most untrustworthy features of a website according to users. Interestingly, 76% of shoppers would be turned off a website if there were obvious issues.
Unfamiliar payment methods rank as the third least trustworthy feature of a website, as 69% raise concerns.
In a recent study, Cyber Duck UX Agency looked at which irritating website feature raises our blood pressure the most – crowning slow loading pages as the most stressful. It seems that not only is it the most frustrating, it is among the most untrustworthy features too as 62% of online users agree, according to AddictiveTips.com’s findings.
The fifth most concerning feature for shoppers is stumbling across broken pages on a website – 61% see this as a red flag.
Methodology: AddictiveTips.com surveyed 4,503 online users worldwide in November 2020, asking them a series of questions related to the trustworthiness of certain features on a businesses website. The questions asked include: Do you know what a trustworthy website looks like? In the past, have you ever made a purchase from a website that you deemed untrustworthy? If you’re unsure about the trustworthiness of a website, will you still make a purchase? Which of these features do you think makes a website trustworthy? [multiple choice] Which of these do you think makes a website untrustworthy? [multiple choice] How often do you come across untrustworthy websites? What is your biggest concern when online shopping?.
