The Power of Social Proofing | Reviews Are Your Salesmen On The Web
Over the last few decades, our shopping habits have shifted from offline stores to online purchases. Easy delivery to your doorstep, convenient shopping hours, user-friendly payment methods, great discounts, and everything else that makes online shopping so convenient. The only thing missing right now is the product’s look and feel. Your site visitors rely on valuable reviews and feedback from previous customers who have already purchased the product to get a sense of how the actual product will look and feel.
There are numerous ways to shop right now. Social media is known as the new print ad platform, and there is a whole new market called influencers to whom people listen when they have a shopping urge. Well, things have changed remarkably in the last few decades, don’t you think? Yes, it is. This is the power of social proofing that we are all subject to. If you are reading the term social proofing for the first time, then let me explain you what it exactly mean;
What is Social Proofing?
The concept of social proofing is very well defined by Robert Cialdini’s research, which says when a person is unsure about the behavior or outcome of a particular situation or thing, they will look for what other people will do in the same situation or thing. We trust other people’s reactions to certain things.
When purchasing online, people frequently rely on the opinions and ratings of previous customers. The concept of social proofing is as old as marketing itself. There must be a review and feedback feature in your eCommerce store. Due to the large selection of products, social proofing is crucial for eCommerce companies. Site visitors start to rely on reviews and feedback when they are confused by the plethora of products.
And that’s just not it, having reviews about your products and brand on your website or on another website brings a plethora of benefits to your business, follow us through the blog and we will.
So, let’s discuss why social proofing is important for any eCommerce store.
Why is social proofing important for eCommerce Success?
For a variety of reasons, social proofing is an effective marketing strategy. The most motivating factor underlying the bandwagon effect is that people are more likely to engage in an action if they discover that others are doing the same thing. You can use this type of strategy on your eCommerce store by displaying a large number of customers who have purchased the same product. You can also display the number of social media followers, likes, and shares your brand or product has received. The effectiveness of this strategy is determined by the customer’s level of trust in the company’s claims.
However, the most important benefit of social proofing is that it fosters trust. Because submitting payment details is a greater security issue for the majority of customers due to the prevalence of scams and frauds, trust is one of the deciding factors in making purchasing decisions on an online store. Displaying the number of satisfied customers and product reviews increases trust in your brand and increases the trustworthiness of your brand.
In a nutshell, social proofing is a type of marketing that establishes authority and trust in your brand. Social proof works by enabling the basic human tactic of following the actions of others by establishing trust and credibility in a specific brand or product, lowering the barriers to online purchasing decisions.
5 tried and tested examples of social proofing in eCommerce website
For a variety of reasons, social proofing is an effective marketing strategy. The most motivating factor underlying the bandwagon effect is that people are more likely to engage in an action if they discover that others are doing the same thing. You can use this type of strategy on your eCommerce store by displaying a large number of customers who have purchased the same product. You can also display the number of social media followers, likes, and shares your brand or product has received. The effectiveness of this strategy is determined by the customer’s level of trust in the company’s claims.
However, the most important benefit of social proofing is that it fosters trust. Because submitting payment details is a greater security issue for the majority of customers due to the prevalence of scams and frauds, trust is one of the deciding factors in making purchasing decisions on an online store. Displaying the number of satisfied customers and product reviews increases trust in your brand and increases the trustworthiness of your brand.
In a nutshell, social proofing is a type of marketing that establishes authority and trust in your brand. Social proof works by enabling the basic human tactic of following the actions of others by establishing trust and credibility in a specific brand or product, lowering the barriers to online purchasing decisions.
1. Customer Reviews and Ratings
It is one of the most effective conversion methods. Customer reviews and ratings are the most important and effective forms of social proofing for a successful eCommerce store.
Because most customers check reviews before making any purchasing decisions, one of the best ways to get customer reviews and ratings is to place the review option right beside the product description. Reviews assist customers in understanding the product while they cannot feel or touch it. Previous customer feedback influences new customers’ purchasing decisions.
2. Referral marketing
Referrals are the unsalaried salesperson. They assist your company in spreading the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Because we all trust our friends and families, referrals are an important part of your marketing campaigns for gaining new customers. You can also share referrals on social media to gain a large number of new customers.
You can gain new customers by implementing effective referral programs such as giveaways, exciting referral bonuses or discounts, social collaborations, and so on. This campaign increases your online popularity and helps you gain the trust of your audience.
3. User generated content
Customer reviews and rating are effective but actually showing real customers enjoying your product is a more effective way of building trust. This is what makes user generated content as the best example of using social proof. This can be done by influencers or just by excited customers.
So, the question is how you can encourage to customers for giving their valuable feedback, reviews, rating, uploading videos or images here is a list of few tactics you can encourage your customers for generating content:
- By curating social media content of your customers
- By giving discounts and coupons for uploading images and videos
- By offering free goodies to influencers
- Unboxing videos
4. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is the a very effective and trendy methods of acquiring new customers. Influencers now play a significant role in social media marketing. This type of strategy can help you get your products or services in front of a larger audience because influencers have a large number of followers or fan base who trust their words.
Look for the right influencers to target a specific audience. The entire concept of influencers is built on social proofing. Influencers are popular because they have a specific audience that follows their recommendations and lifestyle.
4. Testimonials
It’s a prime example of social proofing. Testimonials are somewhat similar to regular reviews; the major difference is that the brand owner has little bit more control over the narrative. Testimonials are used in a variety of industries to increase trust and authority in their products and services. Testimonials have a significant impact on conversions. Simply contact your satisfied customers and ask them to provide a written or video testimonial. Site owners can also send pre-made questionnaires about the purchase, which your satisfied customers can easily fill out.
eCommerce site owners can use these testimonials to demonstrate the authority of their products on social media. Testimonials are a simple method of showing that your brand has satisfied customers. Another way to obtain testimonials is to present proven case studies about your products and how they are useful in a specific situation. A good case study can assist you in gaining new customers and demonstrating proper product implementation.
Summary
Social proofing comes in a variety of forms and can help influence purchasing decisions. Customer reviews and feedback must be integrated into your website. There are numerous methods for demonstrating social proof and establishing trust and authority in your brand. If you have just begun your eCommerce journey, we at Azguards are here to help you grow and gain brand popularity. Contact us to begin the journey of digitization with our eCommerce experts so what’s holding you out book your free consultation today.
Free Newsletter Subscription
Join the list if you find this kind of technical blogs useful
Would you like to share this article?
