In this digital age that we live in, building a trustworthy fashion brand is important. Many people have fallen into the hands of online scammers and it has made them wary of online shopping.
Since most fashion brands operate online even when they have brick and mortar stores, building a good reputation is needed. One of the key factors of building a reputable fashion brand is being trustworthy.
Creating a trustworthy fashion brand can make you gain the loyalty of new and existing customers. To make sure you are building a trustworthy brand, here are key factors to pay attention to;
8 Ways to Build a Trustworthy Fashion Brand
1. Be Honest
Honesty and trustworthiness work hand in hand. You can never build a trustworthy fashion brand if you are not completely honest with your clients and employees.
Look at your brand and ask yourself if every information you put out is honest. Are the images you post a true representation of what you sell? Are the prices you advertise all your customers will have to pay for your products? Do you have true customer reviews?
Honesty can take a brand to places effort cannot.
2. Show Your Human Side
People like to interact with people and not businesses. They trust the people and not what they are selling. Your brand should not be a faceless entity, it should have a face to it.
Show people who the person behind the brand is. Show your customer your employees and other customers that interact with your brand. Let them see you as a human being and not as an unknown entity.
Talk to people about deeper details than just your products. Let them know what’s happening in the brand, your challenges and victories. It makes them trust you more.
3. Keep Your Promises and Own up to Your Mistakes
There are a lot of negative stories out there about customers experiences with fashion brands. The most popular being the ‘What I ordered vs. What I got’ stories.
Many people have lost money to fashion businesses that don’t keep their promises. You build a trustworthy brand, you must keep your promises.
Keeping promises goes beyond giving your customers exactly what they ordered. Do you deliver products at the time you say you will? Are your products as reliable as you say they are? Is the quality of your products exactly what you put it out there to be?
As a fashion entrepreneur, you must pay attention to these. Never fail on your promises. If something comes up and you cannot deliver on your promises, let your customers know on time and offer them an incentive to make up for your failure.
Also, you must own your mistakes. When you make a mistake, own it and apologise to your customers about it. Let them see that you are not running away from your mistakes.
4. Give Room for Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are a big encourager for other customers. When people see reviews from other people, they tend to trust a brand more.
Now, it might be tempting to put up fake reviews on your website and social media pages but don’t. Instead, ask your customers to fill a customer review form or ask them for feedback for you to post on your different platforms.
Giving room for real customers to post reviews and testimonials helps your trust profile. When you receive negative reviews, look for ways to learn and improve from them. When the reviews are positive, enjoy them and let them boost your confidence.
Never delete negative customer reviews from your pages, but respond to them constructively.
5. Be Consistent
Consistency makes a brand. Everything from the content you put out to the products you sell has to be consistent. Let your customers always have a consistent experience with your brand.
For whatever qualities you want your brand to be known for, be consistent. Let every customer that comes to your brand have a consistent experience every time.
When your brand is consistent, customers begin to trust you.
6. Build Relationships with Customers
Your business is around because of the customers. They are the major asset your brand has and you must cherish them.
As children, we were taught not to trust strangers and that followed us into adulthood. Build relationships with your customers so they see you as a friend and not a stranger.
Let your customer service be top-notch. When people buy something from you, follow up with them on what their experience with the product has been. You can even give a tip or two on how best to use the product.
When you get feedback from them, handle it with seriousness. Never ignore customer complaints or feedback and don’t just listen to respond. Listen to them genuinely and show you care with your response.
When customers feel respected and feel they have built a relationship with you, they tend to trust you more.
Read Also: 5 Ways To Maintain Premium Customer Service For Your Fashion Brand Post Lockdown
7. Partner Only with Trusted Brands
Partnerships are great for fashion businesses. Through partnerships, a brand can achieve heights that could never have been possible alone.
In running your fashion brand, partner with established brands that have already gained the trust of people. When customers see that a brand they trust is working with you, you’ll gain credibility and customers.
However, in working with these brands, make sure to be honest and treat their customers right. If you fail to do this, you risk losing their business and help.
Read More: Thinking Of Choosing A Fashion Business Partner? Here Are 7 Traits To Look Out For
8. Display Company Culture
Through your company culture, your customers get to see what you value. As a fashion entrepreneur, always find ways to display your company culture to your customers. This makes them see what you value and forms of a kindred spirit in them.
Building a trustworthy brand is important for all fashion entrepreneurs. Though it doesn’t happen overnight, with consistent effort in the right direction you will surely build a brand your customers’ trust.
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