When you Google “trust badges” or “trust seals” for your Shopify store, you’ll receive millions of results, most of which are regarding website promises of security, speedy shipment, and more. You may also notice that most website trust seals resemble a different kind of seal: a wax seal [1].
Wax seals have been associated with formality and validity in business documents since the Middle Ages. Many things have changed since then, thanks to the growth of eCommerce, but some things have remained the same. Hundreds of years ago, trust seals were important, and they still are today.
According to an Econsultancy/Toluna survey, 48% of participants said trust badges or trust seals are among the most important factors they consider when buying online [2]. Trust badges, when applied correctly, can have a significant impact on sales and conversion rates.
So, what are they? How can you integrate them into your Shopify website with ease? Read on to find out the six main types of trust badges that you can use to pump your business up.
Table of Contents
What are trust badges?
A trust badge, also known as a trust mark or trust seal, is a badge or an emblem that is used to reassure customers that your Shopify store is trustworthy. They serve as a visual reminder to customers that your business is legitimate.
Why are trust badges important?
Customers are put in a vulnerable position due to the way the eCommerce world operates. They are asked to provide personal information and credit card numbers without even seeing the merchandise. Therefore, it’s no surprise that they approach your websites with caution and it’s your job to mitigate that suspicion by improving their experience with social proof, including trust badges.
“Trust gets deals done”, according to the LinkedIn State of Sales Report 2020 [3]. This works both on and off the internet. The primary purpose of trust badges is to increase customer trust and ease their anxieties when shopping online.
Also, trust badges help small businesses that lack brand recognition to boost their credibility and interest in their products or services.
There are several types of trust badges, which will be discussed further below. Each one of them has its own meaning and application, depending on the desired effect you’d like to achieve.
6 Best Trust Badges for Shopify stores
Site security badges
Site security badges indicate that your web store has an SSL certificate. SSL is the acronym for Secure Socket Layer [4]. It can be a little technically confusing, so we will not go into the details here. To put it simply, SSL secures the internet connection as well as the data being transmitted.
When you access any sites that have an SSL certificate activated with Google Chrome, you can see a small padlock that appears next to your URL, like in the example below.
Currently, Shopify has issued and set up SSL certificates for every Shopify store [5]. So, as a Shopify owner, you will have a padlock that goes next to your domain by default. The lock serves as a site security badge to remind visitors that your website is secure.
In addition to the SSL lock by your URL, you can also put another security badge on your website to further enhance your customers’ sense of security and safety. By adding just one security badge to the “Request a quote” page, the conversion rate of Blue Fountain Media increased by 42% [6].
Adored Vintage does a great job of putting a lock icon with the word “SECURE” as the trust badge on their product page.
It’s best to display a security badge clearly near your “Add to cart” button on your checkout page. It shows that your store’s checkout process is safe and secure, that the information shared is encrypted, and that your customers’ identities or credit card information will not be stolen. Consequently, customers will feel more confident going on to checkout/payment.
Accepted Payment badges
These badges are small visual logos that represent your accepted payment types. For instance, it could be a credit card logo, a Visa or a Paypal logo.
For example, Out Of The Sandbox includes 9 different payment methods on their homepage.
Some may argue that “accepted payment” isn’t a trust badge. However, by using them, you utilize the reputation of other companies to increase your store’s legitimacy. Nothing inspires more confidence than seeing a familiar brand. According to a study conducted by the CXL Institute, 25% of people said the PayPal badge gives them the best sense of trust [7].
Accepted payment badges don’t need to sit at the centre of attention. For this reason, you can simply put them at the bottom of each page on your website.
Third-Party Endorsement badges
People believe what others say about you more than what you say about yourself. This demonstrates the significance of third-party endorsement. To build trust with customers, your store needs validation by either the producer, distributor, transporter, or a quality guarantee company.
Below is an example of the Third-Party Endorsement Badges from FastGrowingTrees.
It is always a good strategy to integrate outside parties to verify the authenticity of your business. As a result, those endorsers will convince the consumer to buy your products or use your service for you, without you putting up a lot of effort.
These badges are normally shown near the bottom of the web page and are usually more visible than the accepted payment badges.
Money-Back Guarantee badges
To attract customers, several stores offer a refund program, expressed through a badge. This badge is meant to remind customers that you offer them a money-back guarantee for buying your products in a certain period of time (usually from 30 to 60 days).
When displayed, the badge makes customers feel safer by eliminating their fear of low-quality products or counterfeiting goods. In Visual Website Optimizer’s experiment, sales increased by over 32% in 11 days after using a “30-day money-back guarantee” badge [8].
Several typical positions for your money-back guarantee badge are the homepage, product detail page, cart page, or checkout page.
ShineOn, as shown above, features a “60-Day Money-Back Guarantee” badge on their cart page. The badge sits properly beside a site security shield icon, right below the checkout button, just where it should be.
Free Shipping and Return badges
Free shipping and return is an excellent strategy to persuade more clients to complete their purchases. Nobody wants an additional cost to pop up at the checkout. While customers may not want to leave their homes in order to buy a product, they also do not want to pay extra shipping fees for convenience. So, you can use this particular type of trust badge to announce that your products will be delivered free of charge.
Take a look at the product page of CRAFTD London above. The “Free Shipping Options” badge is displayed prominently in black (in contrast with the white background), right below the “Buy it now” button. If possible, you should put the Free Shipping badge along with or close to the Money-back Guarantee badge since both are your personal badges that can instantly answer customers’ questions about your store’s policy.
Social Media badges
When browsing other Shopify stores, you may notice that most of them have social media logos that link to their business’s social media page, usually in the footer. If you haven’t incorporated these icons into your Shopify web page, consider adding them right away.
What serious business does not have a social media presence nowadays? Merely putting these little symbols informs consumers that they may reach you in a variety of ways if they want. Also, they can visit your social media page in order to discover more about your store. Last but not least, customers feel more secure knowing that they are working with a company that enjoys interacting with them.
The most common place to integrate social media trust badges is the footer, as Omaze does below.
How to add trust badges to your Shopify store
Now that you know how important trust badges are for conversions, let’s get down to business and figure out how to add them to your Shopify store. Adding trust badges is a basic and typical Shopify theme customization. To do that, you have two simple options including using Shopify apps or outsourcing your work.
Top 4 Shopify trust badges apps
Installing an app from the Shopify App Store is perhaps the easiest method to add trust badges to your Shopify store.
There are hundreds of apps to select from in the Shopify app store. However, I just identified two of my favourite applications that can assist you in strategically adding trust badges to your store based on their qualities, reviews, and pricing.
Free Trust Badge by ShopClimb
With the most badges available, Free Trust Badge by ShopClimb stands out as the most comprehensive choice for establishing trust on Shopify. However, you have to register a premium plan to unlock the full potential of the app.
Pros
- 145 badges available in the free plan
- Additional 670 badges in the paid plans
- Strong customization for text and badges (color, font, size & format)
- Allows you to put badges in any sections
- Allows for adding your own CSS
Cons
- In the free plan, badges can only be placed on the Product page.
- Every plan, except the most expensive one, has a page view limit.
Ultimate Trust Badge by Conversion Bear
Ultimate Trust Badges by Conversion Bear is a convincing option when it comes to Shopify trust badges, with over 940 reviews and a 5.0 rating.
Pros
- Over 300 badges available
- Colored badges are available, with options to change the style (mono, original, card)
- Allows for animation and custom margin
- Allows you to place badges in any sections
- Custom badge request allowed
Cons
- Have few text fonts and few badge sizes
Trust Me ‑ Free Trust Badges by Giraffly
Trust Me ‑ Free Trust Badges is a free app but works extremely well. In this year, 2021, all the reviews from users are 5-star rating.
Pros
- Easy to use, no professional skills required
- Badges are available on any mobile devices
- Protect your site speed
- Allow attractive animation
- Newest icons are updated regularly
- Work with Online Store 2.0 Theme
- Run fast, upload fast
- Allow to edit content, size, alignment of badges
- Allow to add to anywhere on your store
TRUST by Varinode, Inc.
Trust by Varinode is also a widely used app that supports you with both trust badges and customer reviews.
Pros
- Multi-language support
- Mobile visibility control
- Support many types of trust seals
- Allow to customize seals
- Support various locations
- Easy to install
- Have a free plan
Pros
- Not support Online Store 2.0 Theme
Outsourcing your work
None of these apps, however, are without flaws. If there is something you want that isn’t available in these apps, you might have to consider seeking the help of high-skilled experts.
Here are some advantages of having a third party add a trust badge to your store:
- Craft a diverse variety of badges, fully customized to your objectives and your store’s theme
- Save your time managing your business with the help of high-tech experts
- High-quality service with no monthly subscription
Final thoughts
A well-designed Shopify store with trust badges can significantly increase conversion rates. With this in mind, it’s worth taking a look at how you’re implementing trust badges on your website. Trust badges that are displayed in inappropriate positions or have designs that don’t match your theme can be counterproductive.
However, as a merchant, you probably are busy managing the operations of your web store. Therefore, all of these trust badge design processes maybe a little too overwhelming for you. In this case, outsourcing your work might be the best solution.
There are thousands of high-tech outsourcing services to choose from. HappyPoints, as a Shopify certified partner, can help you handle Shopify tasks and projects. Let’s begin by adding trust badges to Shopify product pages!
If you are interested, don’t hesitate to contact us!
Reference
[1]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8lbgnZhkDI&ab_channel=TrustSignals
[2]. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/do-you-need-trust-badges-your-online-store-matt-tanguay/
[4]. https://www.verisign.com/en_US/website-presence/online/ssl-certificates/index.xhtml
[5]. https://www.shopify.com/blog/73511365-all-shopify-stores-now-use-ssl-encryption-everywhere
[6]. https://www.bluefountainmedia.com/blog/verisign-seal-increase-conversions
