November 1, 2023

The Ultimate Guide to Social Proof in Ecommerce

Unlock Ecommerce Success with our Ultimate Guide to Social Proof! Learn how to boost trust, conversions, and sales with proven strategies. Explore real-world examples and expert insights. Elevate your online store today!
The Ultimate Guide to Social Proof in Ecommerce
The Ultimate Guide to Social Proof in Ecommerce

Human beings always want to be sure they are making the right choice. No one wants to buy a product or subscribe to a service with no feedback from other customers. 

Inherently, social proof is a field of psychology. However, with the popularity of online shopping, social proof has become an important part of ecommerce. 

With social proof, businesses can increase conversion rates and sales and build loyal customers. 

In this article, we will go through all you should know about social proof in ecommerce and how you can use social proof to increase your conversion rate and boost sales. 

What is social proof?

Consumers are faced with thousands of products and services online and have to make a choice. Social proof is that eye-opener that helps consumers make a final decision. 

By definition, social proof is a psychological phenomenon where consumers make buying decisions based on the choices made by fellow shoppers. 

So, if you visit a clothing ecommerce store to get a pair of jeans and see that the majority of shoppers gave a positive review, you will subconsciously assume that the store has great clothes. This is how powerful social proof can be. 

In ecommerce, social proof includes product reviews, testimonials, certifications and endorsements, etc. 

Why is social proof important? 

Why does social proof work well for businesses and brands? Well, this is because companies can use external endorsements to tell a story and motivate prospective customers to make a buying decision. 

Let’s take a look at specific reasons why social proof is important for your ecommerce business: 

Improves customer trust 

When a customer visits a website or ecommerce store, they instantly begin to look for trust signals. The customer wants to know if it is safe to buy from you. 

Social proofs like trust badges, customer reviews, and testimonials are powerful ways to take the uncertainty out of your customer’s buying process. 

In fact, 88% of consumers trust customer reviews just as much as a personal recommendation from a friend or family member. 

For example, a positive customer testimonial on your social media page can improve trust and address any objections high-intent buyers may have about your product. 

You want to ensure that any form of social proof on your website is authentic. Don’t take out the negative reviews. Instead, you can reply to the negative reviews publicly. 

Attracts more potential customers 

Social proof is a powerful way to attract more potential customers. A string of positive reviews creates a solid foundation for your brand, boosting your brand name and increasing customer trust. The more customers share positive content about your brand, the more other prospects see and buy your products. The snowball effect of social proof translates to more and more prospects ultimately building a community of loyal customers. 

Increase conversion rate 

According to statistics, 72% of consumers will only take action after seeing a positive review.  

So, positive reviews and testimonials can largely influence a customer’s buying decision. The more positive reviews you’re able to gather on your website, the higher your chances of getting a conversion. 

Rank higher on search engines 

Online marketplaces like Amazon rank products based on ratings and reviews. Google is committed to providing consumers with the best possible options when they make a search. 

As an ecommerce business owner, social proof is one powerful SEO strategy to implement. More positive reviews can take your ecommerce store up in search results. 

When consumers search for a product and see a five-star rating on your product, they are likely to make a purchase from your website.  

Types of social proof

Many studies show that consumers will consider other people’s choices to make theirs. This means that social proof isn’t just a strategy but a proven psychological phenomenon. 

Here are some types of social proof you can take advantage of to increase conversion and sales.

Customer reviews

Customer or product reviews are one of the best kinds of social proof. Consumers will typically look out for positive product reviews before making a buying decision. When they see many positive reviews on your product or service, they are likely to trust your brand and buy from you. 

As an ecommerce business owner, you want to encourage customers to drop a review on your website after making a purchase. You can use customer review automation tools, emails, social media platforms, and so on to encourage buyers to leave a review. 

Celebrity endorsements 

One thumbs up from a celebrity can have a greater impact on your product or service even more than customer reviews. 

Many celebrities already have the trust and respect of their fans. So, they are likely to trust product recommendations from them. This is why influencer marketing is a powerful strategy that works so well. 

However, to nail your celebrity or influencer strategy, you need to understand deeply who your customer is and what kind of influencer or celebrity they look up to. 

Social engagements

Social media has become a vital part of our daily lives. Your potential customers spend a large portion of their time scrolling through social media. 

Your social media platform can be a gold mine for social proof. You can launch creative campaigns to highlight the benefits of your product and encourage people to create and share user-generated content. The more people share positive reviews and testimonials, the more people see your brand, increasing your engagement and sales. 

Certifications

People will trust a brand that comes with a certification from a third-party organization in your industry. If your brand claims to offer sustainable products, you want to get a certification that proves this. 

A simple trust badge is a great way to start. You can also seek to get PR endorsements from credible online magazines. 

Recommendations from experts

Experts can endorse your product and get consumers to trust your product. For example, a dermatologist can endorse a skincare product. 

This type of social proof works because it appeals to authority. Consumers will likely trust a product endorsed by an expert in the industry. This can help attract potential customers and increase your conversion rates. 

How to incorporate social proof in ecommerce 

Here are some social proof techniques that you can implement on your ecommerce website:  

Adding social proof on your homepage 

Your homepage is the first contact shoppers will have with your ecommerce site. So, you want to ensure your homepage is convincing enough to get them to go through your product pages. Social proof is one easy way to do this. 

Adding a trust badge to your site can instill a sense of trust in website visitors and assure them that their data is secure on your site. You want to add a globally recognized trust badge to your site. 

You can also add customer reviews on your homepage. You can use tools like Pixlee to add a widget that shows top reviews on your site. 

Adding social proof on your product pages 

Adding social proof to your product listing pages can push up your conversion rates significantly. There are several ways you can add social proof to your product page. One of the most common is to highlight customer testimonials, reviews, and ratings on your product page. You can also add live notifications showing the number of people who have bought your product or subscribed to your service. 

User-generated reviews can also be powerful social proof for your product pages. You can also include awards and product reviews by experts within your industry. 

Adding social proof in emails 

Email is an effective marketing channel that can help foster a relationship with your customers and increase your conversion rate. Your email marketing campaign will not be complete without adding social proof. There are several ways you can add social proof to your email marketing campaign. 

You can easily add a link to positive reviews on your website and encourage them to leave a positive review by offering an incentive. 

A lot of us love a good success story. You can share customer testimonials that show how your product or service has solved their problem or changed the way they live. 

You can also add user-generated content to your emails via a UGC tool. 

Adding social proof on your checkout page 

Almost 70% of shoppers abandon their cart, not completing their purchase for various reasons. As an ecommerce business owner, this can be a waste of marketing efforts and resources. 

With social proof on your checkout page, you can address objections from customers, reduce cart abandonment rate, and improve return on ad spend(ROAS). 

You can add trust badges on your checkout page, showcase customer testimonials, and display product reviews and ratings. You can also create a sense of urgency by including the number of people who have added your product to your cart.

Wrapping up 

Social proof is an essential part of any successful marketing campaign. Not only does social proof build trust but it can also increase brand awareness and boost your conversion rate. 

You can use various types of social proof in your marketing activities. From customer reviews to testimonials, certifications, celebrity endorsements, and so on. 

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