Introduction

Give people total freedom, and they will start imitating each other.

No doubt, consciously or unconsciously, you have bought or made some decisions pushed by the influence of others, usually people close to you.

Let's take watching that newly released movie. We go to IMDB or a similar platform to check the reviews before spending money and time, right? If there are low reviews, more negative reviews, or no reviews at all, it will not matter if a movie is good - even if we choose to watch it, we will take it with a huge grain of salt and evaluate every detail.

A staggering 97% of consumers look at reviews before buying a product.

In this fast-paced world, we don't even have time to do full research on single products before taking that final decision of purchase.

Types of Social Proof

Creativity has no limits when it comes to displaying social proof on your website. Even though there are well time-tested methods, businesses through A/B testing find new ways to do it even better than today. Let's review what works best today and why.

1. Show Those Numbers

Are there numbers you and your company are proud of? Maybe you have sold record cars that year in your city? You have many views or subscribers on social media? You saved 1,000 whales by donating x money?

All these numbers help people make that important decision to purchase. Don't let them get the impression that your product is not popular and that no one is using it and enjoying it. Make it visible that the whole planet is enjoying and loving your product to the core.

2. Word from Expert

Now imagine you saw an ad with supplements. You go and visit that website. You find many people liking it, ingredients you have heard of from the internet or your friends. But then you see a doctor in a white coat who recommends the product, and it bends the needle. Click.

In sports, it will work similarly. Since audiences differ though, you might want to do thorough research on what your audience actually likes. Maybe if you put in Messi with your product, you will not have as good a result as if you put in Cristiano Ronaldo.

This will work more or less in every niche. For it to work optimally, good thorough research is needed.

3. Famous Person Influence

Like previously mentioned about doctors or similar authoritative people expressing recommendations, a famous person will have as strong if not stronger effect.

Again, it all comes down to your audiences. Study them. Make contracts with influencers that they actually love. Show them with your product. It will be an investment that is worth it.

4. Trusted Reviews and Ratings

Not sure about you, but I definitely read reviews. I already have an eye for fake reviews - they are shorter, less detailed, and praise the company like it was the best thing in the whole world. However, if reviews are honest, they definitely influence my purchase decision.

A bold fact: display those customer reviews and ratings on your website, especially the product page. If you can, use trusted reviews providers like TrustPilot or Amazon.

Don't forget user-generated content. Make sure you offer a discount if customers write reviews and additionally add images with products. Offer an even bigger discount if they add a video! Those will pay off as they are recognized as the most authentic and trusted by consumers. Definitely show the ones that have video or images at the top of your reviews block!

5. Certifications

If you are certified as the best Digital Wellness product in 2023, even in your small city, be sure to show it to people. This is a strong indication that you are on a bigger mission as a company than just pushing out unnecessary stuff to consumers.

6. Featured In

You probably have seen sections "as seen in" or "featured in" where specific logos of media companies or famous companies are displayed.

This helps to further build trust and position your brand as an authority.

7. Badges

One more component many successful e-commerce shops utilize is adding best-selling or most popular sections or badges.

I am sure you have at least once gone to a restaurant and ordered that 'most popular' or 'restaurant's special' pizza. If it is most popular, it has to be good, right?

In e-commerce, it is common to display sections like 'most popular' on a homepage. Then additionally add best value badges on products themselves.