6 ways to grow consumer trust (and your resulting sales)

Consumer trust matters. As a business, it’s in your best interest to invest resources into building trusting relationships with potential and current customers.

Consumers hold businesses to certain standards and want to build relationships with the ones they believe in. They don’t want to be let down.

According to NIQ’s 2026 Consumer Outlook, 95 percent of consumers now say trust is critical when choosing a brand, and Salsify’s 2026 Consumer Research found that 68 percent of shoppers will pay more for products from brands they trust.

Here’s the catch: most companies overestimate how much they’re actually trusted. One widely cited perception study found 82 percent of B2C executives believed their brand had earned high consumer trust, while only 49 percent of consumers agreed, the widest gap recorded since researchers began tracking it. Closing that gap is where the real opportunity lives.

The more consumer trust you grow, the better off your business will be.

The following are six ways to grow consumer trust, as well as your resulting sales.

Deliver a quality product and/or service

Truly, the first step to building consumer trust is to sell a quality product and/or service. The higher the quality, the more your customer can trust you and purchase from you again.

Consider the needs of your target customers. Your products and services should reflect those needs.

It’s important to consistently audit the quality of what you’re selling so that you can ensure that your expected quality is maintained for the benefit of the customer.

Deliver surprisingly good customer service

Customer service is a powerful tool to grow consumer trust in your business. This is your opportunity to demonstrate value and legitimacy to your customers and potential customers.

Don’t just exude good customer service. You want to deliver great customer service that impresses consumers and makes them want to come back to you again (and again).

This includes committing to customer interests, compassion and accountability. You have to show that you care in all your communications and interactions. Make it easy to reach your customer service team. Patience is imperative, but responsiveness also matters.

Responsiveness remains one of the strongest loyalty drivers available to a business. Recent research found that 88 percent of customers now expect faster response times than they did a year ago, and 83 percent say they trust and stay loyal to companies that respond promptly and help resolve their issues. Separate research from Nextiva found that 89 percent of customers are more likely to make another purchase after a positive service experience.

Check out our six ways to become more responsive to your customers.

Highlight (positive) reviews and testimonials

Of course, you’re going to talk about your business positively. But what about your customers?

Not surprisingly, consumers give more weight to customer reviews and testimonials than what a business says about itself. These are forms of social proof, which refers to potential customers assuming that what others are doing is correct based on how often they see those actions. In other words, social proof is about looking to others to figure out the right way to interact in any given situation.

Real customer experiences are often seen as more objective. According to Capital One Shopping’s 2026 research, 93 percent of consumers say online reviews influence their purchasing decisions, and the average shopper now checks about six different review sites before buying. By acquiring and sharing those experiences, you’re leveraging the credibility of your customers to build consumer trust with your target audience.

Check out 17 of the best social proof tools to help you boost trust and resulting sales.

Embrace honesty and transparency

No company wants to be viewed as shady or dishonest. To help show your honesty and transparency, make sure that your marketing is not misleading or making promises that you can’t (or won’t) deliver on. Be very clear in both your copy and your images.

Transparency around data is now just as important as transparency in marketing copy. Research from Cisco, compiled by CDP.com, found that 75 percent of consumers won’t buy from an organization they don’t trust with their data, and 81 percent are concerned about how companies use their personal information. Be upfront about what you collect and why.

Of course, all your business practices should be straightforward and ethical. Be upfront about your pricing and how your products and/or services can actually help potential customers.

If your business makes a mistake, own it and fix it as soon as possible. It’s all about working in the best interest of consumers.

Check out our six tips to create brand loyalty for your business.

Ask for feedback (and act on it)

When you ask for feedback from your customers, you’re giving them a stake in your business and showing that they matter. You’re letting them know that they matter beyond the money they’re paying you.

This can involve sending out customer surveys, asking for feedback after a customer service interaction or even handing a sign with a QR code in your physical business location for customers to scan and easily submit feedback through, among other methods.

Of course, if you’re getting consistent feedback about something that needs to change or could be improved, it’s important to act on that. Being asked for feedback builds consumer trust, but making changes based on that feedback goes even further with your customers.

Share your company values

What are your company values? Do your customers know what they are? Understanding what’s important to your company can help grow consumer trust.

Make sure that you have a clear statement of your company values that’s easy for consumers to find. It can be on your website, as well as featured on your social media accounts in various ways.

Granted, it’s one thing to talk about your company values and something else to actually act according to your values. In those moments of action, you can share that across your digital marketing.

In conclusion

There’s no magic bullet when it comes to consumer trust. Consider the customer’s purchasing journey with your business and address any missed opportunities that you can leverage to support that relationship. In addition, remember to walk your talk. If there’s something that you promise in your marketing, deliver on it. If there’s something that you say your company cares about, show it.

As you’re boosting consumer trust for your business, consider leveling up your digital marketing process. DailyStory brings together marketing automation, dynamic audience segmentation, email marketing, SMS marketing and native integrations with the systems you already run, all detailed on our features page. Schedule your free demo with us today.