How to reduce "purchase anxiety" and persuade your visitors to buy

By Andrew Mallory

You know that moment when you're thinking about buying something... but you're just not sure if you should pull out your wallet -- or run away fast?

That's what we call "purchase anxiety." Most people feel it at some point or other, especially when they're buying a "big-ticket" item.

... OR when they're buying something sight unseen over the Internet.

Online shoppers tend to suffer from "buyer anxiety" more than offline shoppers. It only makes sense... when you buy something over the Internet, often it's for a product you've never even seen before -- from a person you've never seen before!

The good news is, by adding some very simple elements to your site you can easily reassure your visitors you're a reputable business offering a quality product -- and get them to click on that "order" button!

Here's what you need to do...

1. Add testimonials to your site

Nothing reassures visitors more than testimonials from real people who can vouch for the quality of your product. And yet so few business sites actually HAVE testimonials!

Why? The answer is easy...

The number one reason why people don't have testimonials on their site is because they don't ASK for them! They feel too awkward or shy to ask people to say nice things about their product or service.

However, just like with all forms of feedback, you've got to go out of your way and ask for it.

The thing is, most people are more than happy to provide you with detailed feedback on what they like about your product. But if you don't ask, you'll never receive.

When you use a testimonial, try to include as much information about the testimonial provider as possible. If you can include their first name, last name, city, and state along with their testimonial, great! If you can put in a picture as well, even better.

If they have a website, you could even include the URL, so people can go to the website and confirm that yes, they ARE in fact a real person.

However, disclosing this much personal information about your testimonial providers isn't necessary for every industry.

For example, if your business helps people dealing with alcoholism, eating disorders, or other problems that have a social stigma associated with them, then your testimonial providers aren't going to want to offer that much information about themselves. In that case, a first name and initial is probably good enough. Stick with the conventions that are normal within your industry.

WARNING: Never ever write a testimonial yourself! It's FRAUD, and you can get seriously nailed for it. People aren't that stupid... they will be able to smell your deceit from a mile away, and it will end up destroying your credibility.

2. Be specific!

When talking about statistics or results, always be as specific as possible! It makes your copy seem more credible.

(This goes for your testimonials as well as the regular content on your site.)

For example, if you sell a weight loss product, don't say that it helped one client lose "more than 100 pounds." Say that it helped her lose 107 pounds.

The more accurate you are, the more realistic your claims will be.

3. Citing a statistic? Include your source!

If you include statistics or other forms of industry information to back up the claims in your copy, be sure to cite your SOURCE of that information.

For example, if you sell natural fiber carpets, and you recently read an article in the American Journal of Public Health stating that childhood asthma is seriously aggravated by the presence of indoor pollutants, then include that infomation on your site -- and cite the American Journal of Public Health as the source of that information.

When you cite a reputable source of information, you borrow their credibility. And that makes your OWN credibility that much more believable.

4. Include your contact information

Imagine going to a site and finding a product you want to buy... but you have a few questions you want to ask about it first.

But when you look for some way to get in touch with the business owner to get answers to your questions, all you can find is an email -- and nothing else!

Nothing screams "Shady!" more than a lack of contact information. Be sure to include your full name, street address, phone number, AND email address -- and then link to that information from every single page on your site.

You might even want to invest in a 1-800 number. By showing you're willing to pay for people to call you to get answers to their questions, you prove that you're willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy their concerns and make the buying decision easy for them.

5. Let your customers know who you are

People want to buy from someONE, not someTHING. So help them get to know you.

Tell them about yourself, in a personal or honest way. (Don't worry -- you don't need to tell your whole life story!)

Your visitors want to know something about you that relates to your problem and industry. How long have you been in this business? What made you get into it? Why do you enjoy it?

Also be sure to include a photo of yourself on your "About Us" page -- as well as a photo of your employers, or the office where you work. The effort you put into making yourself seem more real to your visitors will definitely pay off.

6. Include certification from reputable organizations

If you belong to any professional or business organizations, include prominent mention of it on your "About Us" page.

(For example: the Better Business Bureau, or any state, national or international organizations that have recognition in your industry.)

Just make sure you don't feature only local organizations... the Internet is a global medium, and if you want to sell to international visitors, you have to come across like an international business.

7. Include proof that you value and protect their privacy

One of the biggest reasons for online purchase anxiety is the fear of handing over personal information -- such as credit card information -- to a virtual stranger.

Make sure you include a privacy policy on your site, reassuring people that you will NEVER share their personal information with anyone!

On top of that, you need to process ALL purchases through a secure server, so that no other computers are ever able to access any of your purchase information.

However, these days many website owners are going even further and including "security seals" on their site, reassuring visitors that they have done everything possible to protect their site from hackers.

Some of the more popular security seals are Verisign, TrustE, and Hacker Safe.

The one we personally recommend is Hacker Safe. It's the security seal we use on our own sites, because according to studies done by ScanAlert, sites with the Hacker Safe seal tend to see an average 14% increase in their conversion rates.

And we're not the only ones who like Hacker Safe -- more than 80,000 sites use it, including over 60% of the Internet Retailer Top 500.

If you'd like to learn more about Hacker Safe, please click here to continue.

... So there's my list of the things you should add to your site in order to reduce your visitor's purchase anxiety and get them to buy your product. If you don't already have these elements on your site, do your best to add them as quickly as you can.

You WILL see an increase in your conversions -- and your profits!