Ecommerce has been part of the digital industry for the past two decades and experts in the field know exactly what it takes to convert their users into customers. Not only do the website owners have to make sure that their website experience is second to none but they also have to find avenues through which they can reach out to a newer audience.
Today, we will talk about one of the best marketing tactics that can help you increase your site’s eCommerce conversions – Social Proofing. A lot of you might know what social proof is and how it can help but for you who don’t, read this article to find out more.
What is social proof?
Social proof is the influence that the actions and attitudes of the people around us (either in real life or online) have on our behavior. The “proof” element is the idea that if other people are doing it (or saying it), it must be correct.
According to the most recent surveys, 97% of consumers read at least one review before buying something online. What’s better is that 47% of people will only buy products rated above 4 stars. However, despite these statistics, very few businesses have an effective strategy for using Social Proof in eCommerce. Here are a couple of more statistics:
- 97% of people read reviews for local businesses. (BIA/Kelsey)
- 90% of respondents who recalled reading online reviews claimed that positive online reviews influence buying decisions, while 86 percent said buying decisions were influenced by negative online reviews. (Dimensional Research)
- 91% of 18-34 years old trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. (BrightLocal)
- 93% of consumers say online reviews impact their purchasing decisions. (Podium)
- 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews. (BrightLocal)
- 93% of people who use mobile to research go on to complete a purchase of a product or service. Most purchases happen in physical stores. (Google/Nielson)
- 3.3 is the minimum star rating of business consumers would engage with. (Podium)
- 68% of consumers will leave a review if asked. (BrightLocal)
When should you use it? How does it work?
Social proof marketing works better in a situation where people are unsure about a decision and they look around for suggestions or influences. To increase the impact of social proof on your eCommerce site, try to use reviews that your target customers might relate to.
Similarly, influencer marketing can also help you social proof your site. Remember, audiences will buy products from your website if they see the person they admire promoting it.
Influencing goes a long way and it can help you sell more, further helping you social proof your website.
How can you use social proof to increase conversion rate
When shopping online, you can’t physically see, touch, or experience the items or services you’re contemplating purchasing before you buy them. This is why written and the visual social proof has become so important to eCommerce brands.
Featuring social proof across your ads, website, and emails can help move online shoppers from inspiration to consideration and from consideration to purchase, ultimately driving conversions on your eCommerce site.
Different Ways To Use Social Proof Elements on Your Website
#1) Include Customers testimonials (with name, picture, and ratings) on your home page
If you have positive reviews about your products or services, it makes sense to display them on your homepage. Research has shown that we have a strong tendency to copy others’ choices when we are hesitating. Moreover, seeing that someone else has had a positive experience will give your visitors more confidence to purchase, subscribe, or fill in a form.
We recommend that you use Testimonial Showcase, Testimonials Slider, or Thrive Ovation.
#2) Show the number of people who bought a product
We automatically presume that our peers have a good reason for doing something or buying a particular product. So, if you have a popular product, let potential customers know about it! If the number is high, then display the number of people who have already bought a certain product.
Product Sales Count for WooCommerce is one of the best plugins that serve the said purpose. You can use this extension to display the Sales Count for a particular time duration.
Your customer will certainly be influenced by knowing that a large number of other people have already chosen to buy this product.
#3) Give your products the best tag possible: “number 1”, “bestselling”, or “Fastest growing”
Presenting your product as the #1 (be that the best-rated, bestselling or fastest-growing, etc.) immediately gives your customers confidence and satisfaction with their purchase decision.
#4) Recommend similar products: “People who browsed this product, also bought”
Adding a “People who viewed this product bought…” feature is an effective persuasion technique. People can find a vast product selection overwhelming. Tailoring their choices by showing them what other, similar people have brought gives them fewer, but more specific, options.
You can use Beekting, a WooCommerce extension that uses marketing automation to boost your overall sales. The sales popup displays the product that was recently purchased and from its location.
#5) Display expert reviews for your products’ endorsements
Displaying expert reviews is an effective way of endorsing your products. The positive feedback and opinions of customer’s peers are incredibly important as we often rely on this “social proof” in order to make decisions.
How About Using Gamification for Your Social Proof Marketing Strategy?
Gamification can play a vital role in boosting social proof activities on your eCommerce site. You can reward your registered users with points, badges, and ranks for posting reviews, comments, and recommendations. This will help your visitors to make a decision for buying something from your site.
Have You Heard About myCred Social Proof?
myCred Social Proof Add-on helps in building the credibility of your business by letting your website visitors know about the current activities of your registered users through real-time notifications. These notifications alert the website visitors of different activities such as posted comments, published content, and viewed videos, and much more via notification popups on your site.
Well, honestly, this whole functionality is so engaging that it can immensely increase your conversion rate, and it can provide better exposure to your products and services to visitors.
Benefits of Using myCred Social Proof Add-On
#1 USER ENGAGEMENT:
myCred Social Proof Add-on plays a vital role in user engagement for your eCommerce site. These engagement activities can help you in promoting your current products or services to new visitors, along with cross-selling/Up-selling.
#2 POSITIVE REVIEWS:
myCred Social Proof Add-on can help you in creating positive reviews for your products and services in a manner best described as a ripple effect. Once you trigger a positive recommendation by any subscribed user, it can resonate with others as well, and the social proof algorithm can work in your favor.
#3 CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS:
Nothing works better than a customer endorsing your product to an audience much similar to what you’re targeting. myCred Social Proof Add-on allows you to easily display customer testimonials that ultimately boost your sales.
Here Is the Glimpse of myCred Social Proof Dashboard
1- myCred Social Proof Popup Settings (Visibility & Interval)
2- myCred Social Proof Reference To Notification
3- myCred Social Proof Title and Description:
4- myCred Social Proof Add-on Prominent Features
Real-time Notifications: myCred Social Proof; display real-time notification to your website visitors.
Set Notification Time: Have the ability to set on-screen and interval popups timings.
Set Notification Reference Points: Select the website’s notification reference points randomly or by your own choice.
Easy to Use & Install: myCred Social Proof Add-on’s simple interface is easy to set up.
CONCLUSION
Social Proof is one of the most effective ways to build trust and interest in an eCommerce site. By including customer reviews and testimonials on key pages, you can send your conversion rate through the roof. You can use myCred Social proof Add-on in many ways to enhance your influential strategies and ultimately give a boost to your conversions.
