12 Effective Ways To Boost ECommerce Conversions With Social Proof
E-commerce has gained so much popularity in recent years that even popular brick-and-mortar stores have decided to create their presence online. Today, consumers can find everything online – be it a needle or a car. Each product has hundreds of substitutes these days. Even the same product is offered by multiple ecommerce stores. All of this has made it challenging for online stores to drive traffic and boost ecommerce conversions. Conversion Rate Optimization is the biggest challenge for e-merchants. Some store owners take help from the best SEO strategies to attract sales, while others leverage social media marketing to capture the attention of their potential customers. E-commerce conversions with social proof is a result-driven yet often neglected CRO strategy that can help you increase conversions overnight and that too without making any additional investment. We have created this post to help you understand the significance of social proof. We have also listed down 12 effective ways to boost e-commerce conversions with social evidence. So without any further ado, let’s get started. What Is Social Proof And Why It’s Imperative For E-Commerce Success? Social proof is a piece of evidence that shows that other people have invested in your products. It can be either in the form of reviews, testimonials, or social shares. This evidence acts as a marketing tool that makes others feel confident about your services and encourages them to buy. Since the nature of online buying is different from real-time shopping in the sense that buyers can not touch or feel the products, online sellers have to make extra efforts to prove to their customers that their products are worthy of their time and money. What reviews and testimonials do is legitimize your business in the eyes of website visitors and customers.
Why Is Social Proof Crucial For Your Business
Research suggests that people are more likely to do things when presented with proof that others have already done it. Seeing others engaging with a brand builds instant trust and indicates your store offers quality products and services. According to research, more than 27% of customers prefer buying from a brand that has online reviews listed on its website. Here’s why social proof is essential for your business growth and success. Information Overload Present-day customers are already surrounded by plenty of information. The total number of advertisements and brand messages we’re exposed to per day has increased from 3,500 back in 2005 to a whopping 10,000 in 2016. This puts e-commerce businesses in a difficult situation. Luckily, one can leverage social proof to bridge the gap between content overload and effective business communication. User-Generated Content Builds Trust According to Mark Zuckerberg, users spend 50-minutes daily on Facebook. Social proof is a lot more than just a piece of evidence. It is a socio-psychological principle we all have as an integral element of our everyday behavior. We’re all influenced by other people’s experiences especially when there’s any sort of financial dealing involved. With user-generated content, you can better convince your prospects that your brand is trustworthy and reliable. People Ignore Interruptive Marketing
Reviews and testimonials revolve around real buyers who have made real purchases and shared real feedback. Unlike interruptive marketing practices (that looks forceful), user-generated content sounds authentic and trustable. User-Generated Content Is Scalable Social proof is scalable and can be repurposed without any difficulty. Your brand visibility automatically increases when customers share their genuine feedback about your products. Social Proofs Are Based On Personalized Recommendations Research suggests that more than 45% of buyers prefer websites that include personalized recommendations. User-generated content is more targeted than conventional marketing material. Whether it is in the form of images, videos, reviews, or comments, people trust recommendations coming from likeminded people and take action immediately. At this point, you must have a clear idea about how important it is to leverage social proof for your brand. The next section sheds light on 12 ways you can increase conversions with social proof. 12 Effective Ways To Boost E-Commerce Conversions With Social Proof 1. Showcasing Testimonials The idea that someone from outside your brand is praising your products and services is enough to build credibility and trust amongst your existing and potential customers. A testimonial is a recommendation that can work wonders if someone authoritative or a social figure provides it. What makes testimonials different is that they’re not generic like reviews. Instead, they are tailored towards your target audience If your industry leaders are not currently using your products, you can ask your existing buyers to say something about your service. Once you gather a few testimonials, spread them out on the pages that you believe will be seen often. Bonus tip: Include real attributions and video testimonials for more credibility and trust. 2. Leverage Ratings And Reviews Product reviews are critical to e-commerce sales and conversions. Adding genuine reviews on your product pages will attract more sales and conversions. According to Forrester and Jupiter Research, more than 77% of customers read reviews before they purchase anything online. Another research reveals that products that had reviews had up to 12.5% higher conversion rate than products that did not include any reviews. Genuine reviews signal to customers that other people have used your products and they’re happy with your offerings.
Essentials Of A Winning Review Strategy Send Follow-Up Emails Sending follow-up emails to customers who have just purchased from your store is an effective way to collect reviews for your website. You can even offer a discount or a cashback offer to customers who’re spending their precious time reviewing your products. Don’t Fear Negative Reviews Do not fear negative reviews. Instead of not showing anything, it is better to have a mix of both positive and negative reviews. Add A Review Badge You must have noticed a review badge at the top of Amazon and Walmart product pages. With these badges, customers can keep track of the product’s status without even needing to scroll to the bottom of the page. 3. Show Existing Interest In Products From Current And Potential Customers Demonstrating buyer interest by showcasing that your products and services are in high demand, you’re pulling all the triggers to persuade individuals to purchase based on the fact that other people are also doing the same. Have you ever seen notifications displayed by Airbnb? Alerts appear to buyers when they buy something or when any specific product is high in demand. With these strategies, you can create urgency and trigger the ‘fear of missing out’. 4. Show Trust Seals And Award Badges Many customers abandon their carts because they’re not happy with the security badges listed on the website. Showcasing trust seals during checkout and around your CTAs helps build credibility. Also, you must highlight the award badges you hold to let your potential customers know you’re a reputable name in your niche. Logos of brands you stock also encourage customers to trust your brand and invest their hard-earned money into your offers. You can consider placing these badges in headers and sidebars for better visibility. 5. Showcasing Influencer Endorsements What people buy mainly depends on what others around them are buying for their use. Trending apparels, new model cars, popular restaurants – people like to invest in things they believe are in fashion, and most importantly the things their friends, family, and social acquaintances are investing in. Many people get influenced by endorsements provided by their favorite influencers and celebrities.
To boost conversions for your e-store, you can also get in touch with the influencers who are popular in your area of specialization. You can get in touch with social media influencers as well and ask them to promote your products and services. 6. Show Review Stories And Case Studies If your brand deals with high-ticket items, you may want to publish more detailed and media-rich reviews. By doing so will help build trust and make reviews on your website look more authentic and appealing. You can also publish case studies demonstrating how your products have benefited a certain group of customers. If you visit Neil Patel’s website, you’ll see how he has backed his claims by asking his prospects to go through different case studies available on his website. Since he has worked with reputable brands and tech giants, the reviews coming from those businesses prove that even such big names need his assistance to excel and drive conversions. Here, you must include actual data and information in your case studies. Back your claims by showcasing comparative analysis charts that show noticeable growth in your client’s revenues (before and after acquiring your services). For example, many fitness websites and online stores dealing with fitness pills include success stories of their customers who have witnessed a massive decline in their weight after using their products. 7. Showcasing Social Media Activity To Build Trust Social media recommendations are one of the most powerful forms of social proof. The total number of fans and followers you have on your popular social media platforms is an assurance that your brand and its products are loved and admired by a huge number of people. On the flip side, you must not use this strategy if your social media numbers are too low. After all, who wants to show their potential customers that they have just one follower on Instagram and that it’s your friend. You can include a social media badge in your header or sidebar to build trust and increase conversions. Also, you can embed images or videos of customers (who have posted on your social media platforms) on your website wearing your products. 8. Avoid Negative Reviews When used incorrectly, social proofs can do more harm than good for your online business. As mentioned earlier, you must not highlight your social media numbers if it’s too low. Similarly, a poor case study can ruin your reputation. Make sure you neutralize those areas of your e-commerce stores that contain plenty of negative reviews. Highlight social proof that is positive. Bonus tip: Your customers are the most valuable asset for your business. Do not ignore negative reviews and do whatever is in your capacity to make their experience right. 9. Logos
If you have customers who are popular in your industry, then you should include their logos on your store. Adding a row of customer logos will help others realize that you’re a business worth investing in. You can also list out logos of your partners to showcase that your brand is working with industry leaders. Cook Travel is one of the biggest examples. The brand has collaborated with popular Air France and Virgin and uses logos of these businesses on their website. Guess what? They have witnessed a whopping increase in their conversions by 48%. 10. Social Connections Luckily, all themes come with widgets and plugins you can install to showcase the number game with your social media connections. Some widgets even allow you to display likes, followers, and more. 11. Show The Numbers, Prove The Value
Today, many themes come with an option of Sales pop that you can use to show your website visitors how many people have purchased from your website. People trust numbers more than anything else. Try to incorporate as many social proofs as you can consisting of numbers and figures. 12. Showcase Subscriber Counts To increase your subscriber count, you can leverage social proof while asking people to fill in an opt-in form. Make sure you mention in your call-to-action (CTA) that joining your subscription/email/newsletter list is free. If you already have a big subscriber list, use it as social evidence that people love and trust your brand. Over To You!
There you have it – 12 effective ways to boost ecommerce conversions with social proof. We have used these strategies many times and witnessed great results. It’s now your turn to try some of these methods and take your online business to new heights of success.