Online shopping is on an astounding ascent solely because of the increasing mobility of shoppers. At least 81% of internet users have researched a product online and 66% have bought a product online (http://visual.ly/online-shopping-statistics). And, since this is an arena wherein hoaxes come in heaps with fraud vendors displaying products asking to you to disclose personal information, customers need to preserve themselves by identifying merchants who are trustworthy and dependable.
Google Trusted Store is an initiative by Google to safeguard customer interests and ensure the trustworthiness of merchants who ship and deliver products bought online. From the consumer perspective, it is free to use but merchants have to undergo certain processes before exhibiting the Google Trusted Store Badge.
To be entitled to the Google Trusted Stores Badge, merchants have to meet certain standards and guidelines in terms of services and shipping – immediate response times and lesser customer complaints in terms of service and faster and precise shipping with exact deliveries within prescribed time. These statistics are available to customers also so that they can check the reliability of merchants.
Google also promises purchase protection in case of incorrect billing, product not delivered on time, receipt of wrong items and products not being in satisfactory condition. If Google receives the complaint in a time frame of 60 days from the time of purchase, it can step in and resolve the issue between the merchant and the customer, acting as the arbitrator. It also has the right to compensate the purchaser. But, Google does not ensure protection for the product, only the purchase.
Also, a merchant cannot hoodwink a customer by trying to dupe him with a fraudulent Google badge. There is a ‘verify’ link on the badge which allows the customer to verify the authenticity of the merchant.
So, if you are a merchant, certify your standards by getting a Google badge and if you are a consumer, ensure that you are buying from a trusted source.
While Google Trusted Store adds credibility and influence to your online store, read our whitepaper on winning your customer at the ZMOT here