Finest Web

How Trustworthy is the Internet?

by Jeremy Woollen, January 2007

By December 2005, 78.6 % of Americans had become Internet users, and according to a report published that month by the Center for the Digital Future, most of them would rather give up their televisions or cell phones than their Internet connections. However, the report brought to light a seemingly contradictory fact: while the Internet has become the most important source of information for over half its users, those same users are less likely to trust the information they read. The report noted that, for the third year running, there was a decline in the number of users who think that most or all of the information on the Internet is reliable and accurate.

While the Internet has become the most important source of information for over half its users, those same users are less likely to trust the information they read.

As Internet users become older (there has been consistent growth among older users) and wiser (the average user has been online for more than 5 years), so the number of people who trust only about half of what they read on the Internet is growing. They do, however, trust their favorite websites – 81.3% of users think the information they read on the sites they visit regularly is reliable and accurate. The average person visits no more than 19 websites in a month in order to avoid information overload, and they tend to rely on the sites that they can trust to help them.

According to the CDF report, which has been published annually since 2000, websites owned by established news and media groups, such as the New York Times, CNN or the BBC, communicated high levels of trustworthiness, with 78.5 % of users saying that they thought most or all information on those sites was reliable and accurate. Government websites also fared well; 78.2 % of users deemed the content of these sites to be of a trustworthy nature.

However, information pages posted by individuals had a much lower credibility, with only 11.5 % of users believing that information on such websites was reliable and accurate.

E-Commerce websites need to communicate trust

Trust takes on a whole new dimension in the world of e-commerce. It is absolutely essential for e-commerce websites to communicate trustworthiness if they are to attract and retain buyers. Potential customers are being asked to put their faith in people and products they cannot see or touch, and to use electronic systems with which they may have no previous experience. Many e-commerce websites are operated by small-businesses with little or no brand recognition, making the task of communicating trustworthiness essential, yet much more difficult.

Conversely, customer loyalty thrives on trust and honesty, so businesses that communicate these things will prove successful in attracting and retaining customers. It is surprising, therefore, how many e-commerce sites show a blatant disregard for their customers, frustrating them with poorly designed websites, and by giving the impression that the site owners might not be entirely honest. Some of the biggest reasons why consumers do not complete online purchases are:

Users are not confident in the security of the website when they are asked to provide payment information.
Shipping and handling costs are often not disclosed until late in the buying process. Apart from being annoying in itself, this practice creates a suspicion that there might be other hidden costs.
Delivery time is not disclosed until late in the buying process. If a buyer is told the item he is seeking to purchase is out of stock, or will take too long to arrive, he is likely to abandon his purchase and look for another website offering the same product.
Visitors are required to give their email address, without having clear reasons as to what the email address will be used for.
Websites are poorly designed, with confusing navigation and pages that take too long to load.

The overall experience of using an e-commerce website is certainly a factor in winning customers. If users experience frustrations with a website, or encounter technical difficulties, they are less likely to return.

Secure a quick sale, or build a long-term relationship?

The current received wisdom in the Internet marketing world emphasizes the importance of establishing a strong brand for a product or company, and ensuring impeccable customer service. The goal of these initiatives is to secure long-term relationships with customers.

Some online retailers seem to treat the consumer’s purchase decision like a slippery slope, with the aim of securing a quick sale instead of trying to build a long-term relationship.

Yet the practice of many e-commerce websites today seems to be precisely the opposite – to make very short-sighted gains at the expense of building long-term relationships. Some Internet advertisers employ blatant trickery to get customers to their websites. Among the worst examples are “trick banners” that look like Windows dialog boxes. These display a message warning the user of some dire consequence if they don’t click the banner. These banners probably get high click-through rates because some users doubtlessly think that they are actual dialog boxes that require a response. But as soon as users realize they have been fooled, they will leave the destination site. Another ploy is to try to make the site visitor give out their email address (usually for mailings they don't want). The moment a customer thinks they are being deceived in some way, they leave.

Some online retailers are also keen to take advantage of any impulsive tendencies among potential buyers by sucking them into the buying process almost without letting them know what is going on. The consumer’s purchase decision is treated like a slippery slope, with the aim of securing a quick sale instead of trying to build a long-term relationship. Again, this disregard for customers only scares them away. Most people don’t actually make a purchase on their first visit to an e-commerce website. They might visit several rival sites offering the same product to compare prices. If they have a bad experience at one particular website, they are unlikely to make their purchase there. If e-commerce sites sought to improve the user experience for the majority of users who visit the site without making a purchase, they are more likely to attract them back when they are ready to buy. Making purchases from an e-commerce website can be compared to buying a used car, in that the integrity of the seller is as important as the product being bought.

›› See related article: How to Build Trust into Your Website