With so many stores now on-line finding one you can rust can be difficult. We already trust really big names like Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Zapoos for on-line shopping, but what about the little guys; can they be trusted? Sometimes the process of purchasing from sites that are not market dominators can be difficult and we feel much more comfortable buying from sites that are well-known, or just going to the store to make our purchases.
Now alongside the news of Google Shopping cart, Google released Google Trusted Stores, to become a trusted store Google looks for certain shipping and customer service performance metrics. Some requirements are that you must have a great track record of customer experience in purchasing, on time shipping and easy returns. Google gives trusted stores a Trusted Stores Badge and a report card that is placed on the store so you’ll know what to expect.
Google will offer customers free purchase protection when an order is placed through a trusted store. If you are having problems that are not being resolved through the trusted store Google will step to help find a resolution. Eligible protection issues include, incorrect item, condition not as stated, billing errors, late delivery, store refuses to honor their own return policy. Â Their purchase protection covers the entire cost of the purchase, but only up to $1000 ever in your lifetime! Â This is probably to protect themselves against dishonest people, and let’s face it many people are trying to earn a quick buck and take advantage of the system.
Of course Google does have some limitations for what products are eligible for the Trusted Store Badge like:
- Services, subscriptions, and warranties
- Pornography products or services
- Body parts…really guess we won’t be ordering those extra fingers after all
- Â Bulk marketing tools
- Counterfeit goods
- Â Prescription or illegal drugs, paraphernalia, or drug test circumvention aids
- Â Fireworks and hazardous materials
- Black market goods of any kind
- Wholesale currency
- Â Miracle cures
- Â Real estate
- Â Vehicles
- Â Services
- Â On-line gaming
Becoming a Google Trusted Store will definitely help consumers become more comfortable with on-line shopping. The badge will become a trusted symbol and will likely increase chances for a visitor to add an item to their shopping cart and should seriously minimize the amount of abandoned shopping carts. This won’t mean other sites are bad to order from but for the skeptical customer who wouldn’t normally purchase items from the internet, knowing that Google is backing their purchase may be all they need. This badge may essentially open up a whole other market segment that business owners with this badge will be able to benefit from.