How can we use digital to gain trust in the absence of proximity?

Lockdown has accelerated digital transformation by offering a way for us to see friends & family, receive help, be entertained, buy food online all while being safe. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella estimates that the crisis has brought forward the adoption of a wide range of technologies by two years.

Many companies have adapted and launched new virtual services, such as Dunelm’s Virtual Shopper assistant or Airbnb’s Online Experiences - which took an impressive 14 days from concept to launch.

For others, the lockdown was the push needed to get consumers to change behaviours and try technology that already existed, such as Les Mills on Demand home workouts.

However, while consumers have become more comfortable using digital to meet their needs, we often hear that people still want to talk directly to the staff or feel a product in person because proximity and touch build trust. At the moment, we’ve lost much of that. Are there ways digital can build proximity and trust?

Transparency builds trust – and digital technologies have the power to pull back the curtain on big business and how it works. Show your ethical supply chain by offering an Air BnB-type Experience on your factory in Leicester or Vietnam. Take consumers to the stretch of rainforest they are saving by buying palm oil-free products.

More consumers than ever trust digital as a way to select and buy. Now use digital to deepen their trust in you.