How to Use Social Proof to Boost Sales?

by alex| in Web to Print on August 23, 2019 8:50 am 1521 /

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Statistics say that over 75% of consumers listen to word-of-mouth recommendations before purchasing something. It may have occurred to you that you compulsively bought something that you simply didn’t want to but you did anyway because that’s what everyone is talking about. You bought it because of a psychological phenomenon called social proof.

People tend to purchase something that has been recommended by trusted people or sources. You may read it in a blog or on review websites. This way you have much less control over your purchasing habits. Being social beings, humans tend to trust and value a product or service more if they see their friends trust and value the same thing.

In today’s digital age, social proof is even more mote tool to affect an individual’s purchasing decision.

Social Proof & Ecommerce

You can certainly say that social proof has a big impact on today’s eCommerce businesses. Online customers today turn to online reviews for social cues and over 80% of customers trust these online reviews like personal recommendations. Over 90% of consumers would trust recommendation online even from the individuals they don’t know. On Yelp, for every one-star improvement in rating tend to make an increase in revenue by 7%.

Product Specific Reviews & Ratings

Be it a star rating, text summaries or a simple thumbs-up, each of this variable is a clue which affects a consumer’s mind in making them purchase a particular product in your eCommerce store.

Testimonials

Reading other people’s feedback on a product and understanding their experience will generate a kind of authority for that particular product. A report suggests that customers testimonial is one of the most powerful contents with an effectiveness rating of nearly 90%, which makes is a necessary feature to have in your eCommerce store. These testimonials are powerful social proof that conveys more trust and authority than other sales efforts.

Photos & Videos

To be honest, what you can show it sells in eCommerce. It’s all about seeing is believing and you have to make sure you show your customers to make them believe in you. The survey suggests that nearly 70% of people would most likely purchase a product if they see a video of that product. And almost 95% of people who show those videos found it helpful in making them an informed decision. It also suggests that photos and testimonials together work better for making sales.

Celebrity Endorsement

Celebrity endorsement is a powerful tool, no wonder CocaCola and Pepsi have been doing it for so long. Not just that, almost all big brands are doing it to up their sales. But then again it is important that the celebrity endorsements are appropriate to the audience. We already know the celebrities who are in the ad and when they associate with the product we trust them more.

Social Posts

Did you know that AdWeek estimates that each social media post by singer Selena Gomez is worth nearly $550,000? By this, you must realize how much of an impact a single social media post makes to people’s purchasing decision. If you can associate yourself with a key influencer and if they can endorse you, you can be making millions in a short time. Social media posts encourage likes, shares, and another subtle branding that brings the product or brand to the mass.

Social Proof in the Ecommerce

For online businesses, social presence and digital experience even more necessary. Many people would chat with their friends online before making a purchase on the eCommerce website. Websites are also trying to keep the shopping journey as short as possible. In a survey in 2017, it suggests that the impact of social proof is even greater for younger target customers because almost 90% of customers who come in the bracket of the 18 to 34-year-old trust online reviews as much as personal reviews.

Nearly 70% of online customers look for product reviews before purchasing anything online. The survey also suggests that nearly 90% of them research the product online for reviews to finally buying a product from an eCommerce store.

It is partly because of the fact that people love the hands-on experience in a retail store, which is something that cannot be done on eCommerce stores. Sure they can return the product but that takes some time. So, for people like you and me, the best thing is to take a review from a person who has really used the product.