The Importance of Key Marketing Strategies in Building the Trust of Consumers in Online Shopping

Online shopping has brought numerous advantages from both the buyer's and the seller's points of view. Customers on the Internet have an almost unlimited choice of products, the possibility of easy comparison of products, prices, designs, the appearance of products, as well as the comments of other customers, and therefore, they can purchase at any time and in any place. On the other hand, using the Internet, sellers have at their disposal a larger market, better opportunities to present their products, working hours of 24 hours a day, savings on retail premises and employees, and the ability to establish and maintain profitable relationships with customers, which is the most significant advantage that the Internet purchase made possible for producers. However, despite the numerous obvious advantages for both buyers and sellers, consumers do not easily decide to shop on the Internet. This paper aims to explain the reasons why customers do not make online purchases. Customers are required to provide personal information and card information, to trust that they will receive the product exactly as it is shown on the seller's online store, and to trust in the safety and accuracy of delivery. For customers to decide to buy a product from the online store, a level of trust is also necessary. Trust is the belief and expectation of an online seller based on the promise made to him. Consumers expect that the seller will act in the best faith in relation to the consumer, that the transaction will be fair, and that the delivery will be realized as promised. However, trust is one of the most frequently cited reasons why consumers do not choose to shop online. The aim of the work is to analyze areas of online trade and models that are relevant to consumer behavior to build trust in online trade and to investigate the impact of certain marketing strategies on building customer trust in online trade. Keywords: online trade, consumer behavior, marketing strategies, trust