At ThruDark, we’ve committed to charting our own course to success — and integral to that mission is the relationship we have with our customers. After all, we’ve not got this far alone. We’ve earned consumers’ attention, built their trust, and maintained their loyalty every step of the way on our journey to becoming a leading outerwear brand.
But consumer trust isn’t measured in Instagram followers or quarterly sales. It’s in the longevity of your customer’s interest and the community dynamic you build. Recent industry challenges like data breaches, privacy concerns, and fleeting attention in the TikTok market have only served to emphasise this truth. It’s no longer enough to put out a product that meets expectations; you have to build meaningful connections that make your customers feel like a part of something.
Here’s how we do it.
What is consumer trust?
When strategising how to reach our consumers, the first question we asked ourselves was a big one. What exactly is this elusive “trust” we’re expecting to develop between us and our audience? For the most part, these aren’t people we’ll ever get to meet face-to-face, or wax lyrical about the quality of our products over a pint. Instead, we had to figure out how to cut through the noise of corporate marketing messages and competing clothing brands.
Our definition of consumer trust is that it’s based on more than just product satisfaction. It encompasses transparency in every interaction, unwavering reliability as brand representatives, and a sincere commitment to the values we’re putting out into the zeitgeist with every bit of our marketing collateral.
Essentially, building consumer trust isn’t just about ticking boxes. When you’re out in the wild, you need to know that the people you’re surrounding yourself with have your back — and that means seeing them lay out their commitment and deliver on their promises, time and time again. This same principle applies to consumer purchasing behaviour. We build trust through consistent communication, exceeding customer expectations, and genuine connections with the people who wear our gear.
Why is it important?
In a fickle consumer market, loyalty is an anchor for clothing brands. It’s the difference between a one-time transaction and a lifelong customer relationship. By nurturing your shopper’s trust, you can create invaluable brand advocates who champion your mission, values, and of course, your products. At its core, trust is what powers our long-term growth at ThruDark.
Members of our GoDark loyalty programme, for example, are walking testaments to the exceptional experiences we deliver. By signing up to the free programme, members gain access to exclusive new product launches and members-only perks, such as a percentage off their first order, points with each purchase, and invitations to exclusive retail events like UnLocked at TDHQ. Then on our end, we get to see our GoDarkers out in the world spreading our message and amplifying our impact.
How to build trust in digital circles
The process of building trust is a long-term commitment, demanding dedication and consistency in business practices. We see it like this: trust building is a triathlon, not a sprint. Just how well you can develop a rapport and maintain customer loyalty boils down to three core principles:
- Honesty — First off, consumers want honesty. We believe in transparent business practices, from sourcing materials to manufacturing processes. No greenwashing, no hidden fees, just clear, concise messaging that empowers customers to make informed decisions about how their money is spent.
- Communication — Your communication channels act as a bridge between your brand and your customer. By openly sharing information and engaging in honest communication, we listen to the feedback we receive and act accordingly. This helps consumers forge deeper connections with our brand.
- Walking the walk — What you say is important, but it’s what you do that speaks the loudest. We aspire to always live up to our promises and deliver exceptional quality in our products. Our claims aren’t just good marketing, they’re reality.
In the age of rampant consumerism, it’s this kind of transparency that will set your business apart. With the clothing market, for example, cheap fast-fashion brands and trending designer labels reign supreme — no pun intended. We take a different approach to getting consumers interested in our clothes: by putting our values out into the world and seeing who they resonate with.
By championing responsible business practices, we’ve built a loyal brand following who are genuinely invested in what we do next. If we were marketing ourselves as a high-end brand but the product quality didn’t match the strength of our word, we wouldn’t have lasted a day.
The importance of community interaction
The principles of trustworthy business have never wavered — consumers favour organisations that treat them like people. But there’s a marked difference in how we interact with consumers nowadays compared to how we used to. In the golden years, you’d be able to have a face-to-face conversation with most of your customers. They’d come into your shop, check out your wares, and have the option to rock up at your front door if they really weren’t happy with their purchase. Now they leave TrustPilot reviews.
So, how do you navigate the culture of internet-first business while sidestepping all those pitfalls that threaten to trip startup brands?
The reality is that going digital isn’t a bad thing, especially if you play your cards right. With the advent of e-commerce, social media, and the age of instant communication, modern businesses have access to more avenues than ever before to cultivate consumer trust and fix up when they’ve acted in a way that could jeopardise it. And on a global stage, the stakes are higher, but the potential rewards are so much greater.
Customer reviews play a pivotal role in shaping trust and credibility. At ThruDark, we value feedback from our community and actively listen to both positive and negative reviews. By leveraging constructive criticism, we’re able to drive continuous improvement and foster trust and loyalty among our customers, including our interactive GoDark community.
Leveraging a variety of channels
Your approach to building consumer trust should draw on every digital tool at your disposal, so long as the platform in question fits in with your brand positioning and ambitions. Here are some of the outlets we use:
Our website — Our website is our front of shop. It’s informative, slick, and user-friendly — driving home the value of our products, sustainability practices, and company values.
Email marketing — We’ve built a subscriber list to send personalised, valuable content to. This informs our audience about brand developments, recent collaborations, and helpful resources that we’ve produced. It’s not all about promotional offers, and this is what keeps our community engaged even when they’re not actively looking to buy a product.
Reviews — We always encourage fair reviews of our products, so long as they’re from buyers who have given them real attention and wear. Hike in them, run in them, test them under the duress of elements — and by all means, let us know how they’ve fared. This helps us make improvements, plan future products, and demonstrate our commitment to progress to our GoDark community
Social media — We engage across platforms like Instagram, Facebook and X. This involves responding to messages promptly, answering questions, and interacting with consumers in the comments section. Yep, the negative ones too. We’re not ones to shy away from criticism, and we’re happy to defend our brand values and choices when need be.
But we’re human, and we don’t always get it right. Consumer trust can be fragile and vulnerable to external factors — and in the face of challenges, we stay committed to transparency, accountability, and swift action. When the trust fall goes wrong, you have to acknowledge your mistake and move quickly to rectify it. In the long run, the hitches in the road are just another way to strengthen customer relationships.
In conclusion, trust is the foundation of meaningful relationships between brands and consumers. Through transparency, authenticity, and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, businesses can cultivate trust and build a loyal community from their audience. We’re proud of what we do at ThruDark, and we think the people who wear our clothes should be too.
Tommy Entwistle, Brand Director at ThruDark
