A buyer who lands on a new online store asks themselves a few silent questions within seconds. Is this a real business? Will the product look like the photo? What happens if it does not fit? Will the parcel actually arrive? If the page does not answer them, the buyer leaves. They may not distrust you. They simply have no reason yet to trust you.
This guide covers the signals that answer those questions: who you are, what you sell, how buyers pay, what happens after they pay, and what happens if something goes wrong. Most cost very little. They just take care.
Why trust is the first problem for a new store
Big brands and marketplaces borrow trust from their size. A buyer assumes a large marketplace will sort out a refund. A new store has none of that. Your buyer is often deciding between your product and a similar one on a site they already know.
Most hesitation falls into four fears:
| The buyer’s fear | What answers it |
|---|---|
| “This might be a scam” | Real contact details, business name, active social presence, secure checkout |
| “The product won’t match the photos” | Honest photos, sizes, materials, real customer photos and reviews |
| “I’ll be stuck if something goes wrong” | Clear return, refund and exchange policy; reachable support |
| “It won’t arrive, or arrive damaged” | Realistic delivery promise, tracking link, careful packaging |
Show that a real business stands behind the store
- Business name and address. Put your registered or trading name and a physical address on the contact page and in the footer. A street address in Surat or Indore is more reassuring than an email address alone.
- A phone number someone answers. Many Indian buyers call before ordering, especially for COD or higher-value orders. If you cannot take calls all day, state the hours.
- WhatsApp. A WhatsApp chat button with a quick reply during working hours does a great deal for trust. Our guide on WhatsApp marketing for online sellers covers the setup.
- An About page with faces. Who makes the products, where, and why. A photo of the actual workshop beats a stock image.
- Grievance contact. India’s Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 require e-commerce entities to appoint a grievance officer and display the officer’s name and contact details, and require marketplace sellers to provide these details to the marketplace for display. The rules also set timelines for acknowledging and resolving complaints. Ask a lawyer or CA how the rules apply to your business.
Make product pages answer the questions a shop assistant would
Buyers who cannot touch the product rely completely on your page.
- Photos from several angles, including one in use and one with an everyday object for scale.
- Exact sizes and measurements in centimetres, not just “M” or “Large”. For clothing, include a size chart measured on the actual garment.
- Material and care. “100% cotton, hand wash cold” beats “premium fabric”.
- What is in the box. If a lamp needs a bulb that is not included, say so.
- Country of origin and expiry date where relevant. The e-commerce rules expect sellers to provide details buyers need to make an informed decision, including country of origin.
- Total price, including delivery charges. Showing a low price and adding shipping or a COD fee at the last step is a common reason buyers abandon checkout. The rules also expect the total price and the breakdown of charges to be shown.
Write policies in plain language and follow them
A return policy is a trust signal only if a buyer can understand it in one read.
Good policies answer, in short sentences:
- Which products can be returned or exchanged, and within how many days of delivery.
- Who pays for return shipping, and how much if the buyer does.
- How the buyer requests a return, and whether you arrange a pickup.
- When and how refunds are paid: to the original payment method, to a bank account for COD orders, or as store credit.
- What happens if the product arrives damaged or wrong.
The e-commerce rules expect clear information on return, refund, exchange, warranty, delivery and the cost of return shipping. More practically, unclear policies cause arguments later.
Our guide on the returns customer experience covers how to design returns that buyers find fair.
Earn reviews honestly
Reviews are the strongest trust signal for a new store and the easiest to get wrong.
- Ask every buyer, a few days after delivery, with a direct link.
- Show the average and the individual reviews, including three-star ones. A page full of five-star reviews with identical wording looks fake.
- Reply to negative reviews calmly and with a fix. A visitor reading “Sorry the zip broke, we have sent a replacement” learns how you behave when things go wrong.
- Use customer photos with permission.
- Never write reviews yourself or pose as a customer. The e-commerce rules specifically prohibit sellers from falsely representing themselves as consumers and posting reviews.
Offer payment options buyers feel safe with
- Prepaid through a known gateway or UPI. Buyers recognise the payment screens of established gateways and UPI apps.
- Cash on delivery for first-time buyers. COD removes the fear of paying a stranger in advance. It also brings more refused parcels and slower money, so many stores set an order-value limit and confirm COD orders before shipping. Our guide on converting COD buyers to prepaid explains how to move repeat buyers to prepaid over time.
- No surprises at checkout. If COD carries a fee, show it before the buyer reaches the final step.
Make a delivery promise you can keep
Delivery is where a new store’s promises are tested in public. A late or silent delivery undoes everything the website built.
Promise a range, based on your own data
Look at how long your recent shipments actually took to each region. Show a range by region on the product page or at checkout, such as “Metro cities: 3–5 days; rest of India: 5–8 days”. (These numbers are an example; use your own.) Widen the range during festivals.
You can check which couriers serve a buyer’s pincode before promising anything with our pincode serviceability checker.
Dispatch when you say you will
If you promise dispatch within 24 hours, have a daily cut-off and stick to it. Buyers notice when “shipped” takes three days.
Share tracking and stay in touch
Send the tracking link as soon as the parcel is booked. If a delivery attempt fails, contact the buyer the same day. Silence is what turns a delay into a complaint.
On Courier Tales, each shipment has one timeline built from courier status updates and a tracking link you can share with your buyer. Failed delivery attempts are listed in your dashboard for action.
Want buyers to see their parcel moving? Share a tracking link for every order and act on failed delivery attempts from one dashboard.
Our guide on how delivery speed affects repeat purchases explains why this matters beyond the first order.
Pack as if the parcel will be dropped
It may be. Corner protection for rigid items, sealed pouches for liquids and double boxes for glass prevent the damaged-on-arrival photo that ends up on social media.
A trust checklist for your store
- Business name, address, phone number and email on the contact page and footer
- Grievance contact displayed, after checking how the rules apply to you
- About page with real photos
- Product pages with sizes, materials, origin and what is in the box
- Total price, delivery and any COD fee visible before checkout
- Return, refund and exchange policy in plain language
- Reviews requested after every delivery, including honest mid-range ones
- Prepaid and COD options, with any limits explained
- Delivery range by region, based on your own data
- Tracking link sent the day the order is booked
- Packaging tested on a sample parcel to another city
Final thoughts
Trust is built from small, specific signals: a phone number that works, a size chart that is accurate, a refund that arrives when you said it would, a parcel that turns up in the range you promised. None of them is impressive alone. Together they let a buyer take a chance on a store they had never heard of yesterday.
Create your Courier Tales account to compare courier options for each route, share tracking with every buyer and keep your delivery promises.
Frequently asked questions
What makes buyers trust a new online store?
Mostly evidence that a real business stands behind it: a name, an address and a phone number that someone answers, clear return and refund terms, honest reviews and accurate product photos. Fast, polite replies to questions before purchase also count for a lot.
Should a new store offer cash on delivery?
COD lowers the risk a first-time buyer feels, so it often helps a new store get its early orders. It also brings more refused parcels. Many stores offer COD with sensible limits and confirm each COD order before shipping.
Is it okay to show only positive reviews?
Showing only glowing reviews tends to make buyers suspicious. A mix of ratings with honest responses from you is more believable. Never write reviews yourself or pose as a customer; India's e-commerce rules prohibit sellers from doing this.
What delivery time should I promise on my website?
Promise a realistic range based on your actual delivery data for each region, not the quickest delivery you have ever seen. It is better to say 4 to 7 days and deliver in 5 than to say 3 days and deliver in 6. Update the range before peak seasons when couriers are busier.
Do I need a grievance officer for my website?
The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 require e-commerce entities, and sellers on marketplaces, to appoint a grievance officer and display their details. How the rules apply to your setup depends on your business, so confirm with a lawyer or CA.
Sources
- Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 (G.S.R. 462(E)), Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India (Gazette of India) (accessed 2 November 2026)
Courier, marketplace and tax rules change. Check the current terms with your courier, marketplace or adviser before relying on them.