3 min 
Customers will not purchase products from a shop they do not trust. These customers are providing the shop with their credit card information, shipping address, and payment.
One missing trust signal can send them straight to your competitor’s site. Trust badges solve this problem instantly.
A BigCartel trust badge helps shoppers feel safe before they buy. It shows that real customers trust you. It also reduces doubt and pushes buyers to complete the purchase.
This guide explains what a big cartel trust badge is, how to use it, and how it can boost your sales without changing the design.
What is a trust badge? Why it matters
A trust badge is basically a digital icon, logo, or seal that appears on your website to let potential customers know your store is safe to buy from.
These symbols typically come from trusted companies such as PayPal, Norton, or the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and they help customers feel more confident when making online payments.
Why Trust Badges Matter
Build instant trust: First-time visitors need reassurance that your store is legitimate. Trust badges provide that validation from recognized authorities.
Reduces Cart Abandonment: Approximately 17-25% of customers abandon their carts at checkout due to concerns about online safety or card information security. Trust badges help alleviate those concerns and drive the purchase.
Boosts Conversions: Strategically implementing trust badges can increase conversions by up to 42 percent. Trust badges serve as an electronic handshake that converts browsers into customers.
Establishes Credibility for Small Businesses: For new or smaller businesses without brand recognition, trust symbols from more reputable brands (such as Visa or Mastercard) provide instant credibility.
All your reviews in one place
Collect reviews, manage every response, and display them where they matter most.
Types of trust badges that work best on BigCartel
Not all trust badges are the same in their conversions. Choose the options that address your customers’ most immediate concerns.
1. Security & SSL trust badges
These badges are most important for reducing cart abandonment, as 17% of customers abandon their carts when they perceive a lack of website security.
- SSL/HTTPS Lock: In Big Cartel, SSL certificates are automatically provided, free of charge, via Let’s Encrypt to every store, which forces checkout to occur over HTTPS.
- Third-Party Seals: Recognized names such as Norton Secured and McAfee Secure are among the most trusted by consumers.
- Placement: Position these near payment forms and the “Add to Cart” button to reassure customers exactly when they are sharing sensitive data.
2. Payment method badges
The payment badges display the logos of the accepted methods, including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and American Express.
The concept is simple: customers want to know that you accept their preferred payment method before making a purchase. Big Cartel is integrated with Stripe and PayPal.
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL): If on a paid plan, highlight the Afterpay, Klarna, or Affirm logos to attract a larger customer base.
3. Money-back & guarantee badges
These badges represent your return policy and guarantee of satisfaction, or your money back. These are often followed by phrases such as “30 Day Money Back Guarantee,” “Free Returns,” “100% Satisfaction Guaranteed,” or “No Questions Asked Returns.”
- Impact: A “30-day money-back guarantee” badge has been shown to increase sales by over 32% in some experiments.
- Placement: Best placed on product pages or the “About” page, where you discuss business values.
4. Review & rating badges
“Social proof has importance for small businesses, since social proof helps convince new customers that others are pleased.”
- Star rating systems: You can use tools such as WiserReview to implement floating badges or carousels featuring consumer star ratings anywhere on your website.
- Verified Buyer Badges: Marks reviews from confirmed customers, building immediate trust with new visitors.
5. Brand, ethical, or third-party badges
These badges showcase certifications, partnerships, or ethical commitments relevant to your products. For BigCartel sellers, these badges highlight what makes your products unique and align with customer values.
- Examples: “Handmade,” “Eco-Friendly,” “Fair Trade Certified,” “Woman-Owned Business,” “Made in USA,” or industry-specific certifications.
- Placement: Typically placed in the website footer for consistent, site-wide visibility.
How to add trust badges to BigCartel
BigCartel’s platform doesn’t have a built-in trust badge feature, but you have two effective options for adding them to your store: WiserReview for automated review-based badges or manually inserting custom image code into your theme’s HTML.
Using WiserReview
WiserReview is the simplest way to add review badges to your BigCartel store without touching code. The platform integrates with various ecommerce platforms and provides embeddable widgets that you can add to your store.
Prerequisite: You must have a paid Big Cartel plan (Platinum or Diamond) to access the code editor.
Step 1: Create a WiserReview account
Set up your WiserReview dashboard, enter your email, create a password, and verify your account.
Step 2: Link your Big Cartel store
Go to the WiserReview dashboard and complete your profile by entering your Store Name and BigCartel URL.
Step 3: Get your pixel code
Go to Widgets in WiserReview and choose a trust badge style.
Copy the Pixel Code from WiserReview and paste it immediately before the closing </body> tag in the Layout section.
Step 4: Go to BigCartel
Open your BigCartel dashboard, go to Customize Design, and paste the code into the theme footer or on a product page where you want the badge to appear.
Step 5: Display the trust badge
To display a specific badge (like a Star Rating), copy the widget snippet from WiserReview, open the Product (product.html) page in Big Cartel, and paste it where you want it to appear, such as under {{ product.name }}.
All your reviews in one place
Collect reviews, manage every response, and display them where they matter most.Adding custom trust badges manually
This method is best suited for static icons such as payment logos (Visa, PayPal) or guarantee seals (30-day money-back).
Step 1: Host Your Badge Image
Since Big Cartel has limited direct image hosting in the code editor, upload your badge image to a reliable host or use a direct link from official sources (e.g., PayPal’s official logo assets).
Step 2: Insert HTML Code
Navigate to Account > Design > Code.
- For Product Pages: Open the Product file and paste the following HTML code where you want the badge to appear (typically below the {{ product.description }} or the “Add to Cart” button).
- For Footer Placement: Open the Layout file and paste the image code within the footer section so it appears on every page.
Step 3: Save and Publish
Click Done and then Publish to make the badges visible on your live storefront.
For BigCartel stores specifically: Since you need a paid plan to add custom integrations and modifications, verify your plan level before implementing custom badges.
Wrap up
Trust badges are non-negotiable for modern ecommerce stores. They transform hesitant browsers into confident buyers by addressing security concerns, highlighting guarantees, and showcasing social proof.
For BigCartel sellers, the combination of security badges, payment icons, guarantee seals, and customer reviews creates a credible shopping experience that drives conversions.
WiserReview simplifies the review collection and display process, while manual badge additions give you control over security and payment trust signals.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You need a paid plan to add custom code and edit your theme. The free plan has limited options.
Place them near Add to Cart, on the checkout page, and in the footer. These spots reduce buyer doubt.
Yes. Trust badges can lift conversions by up to 42% by easing security concerns.
WiserReview shows real customer reviews with live widgets. Manual badges are static icons. Using both works best.
Krunal
