The psychological and sociological phenomenon of social proof, often referred to as social influence, is when we copy others’ behaviours in order to behave appropriately.
Yes, that did sound extremely scientific. In reality, you encounter social proof every time you go through Instagram to see the newest fashions or pick a busy clothes store over the quiet rival down the street.
Consumer Expectations Regarding Social Proof
Social proof isn’t some enigmatic psychological trick to get them to buy your goods. In fact, research demonstrates that social evidence is viewed by customers as an essential step in the purchasing process. Consumers make purchasing judgments using ratings and reviews, user photographs, and current trends.
The social proof information that consumers want and expect isn’t being offered by many well-known retailers, according to our analysis of their site and email tactics. Adding social proof to their toolkit can help apparel and footwear firms, but it’s not a particularly difficult process.
The following three examples of how to use social proof should motivate you to implement it in your own company.
- User-Generated Content
The best marketing strategy for sectors driven by visual trends is user-generated content. By sharing the newest trends and designs on social media and motivating their friends, devoted customers frequently serve as the brand’s finest marketers.
With today’s technology, it is simple to include real-time social feeds into websites and emails. However, a lot of trendy retailers are missing out on this chance.
By showcasing the most recent trends, social feeds can enhance click-throughs from emails and product listing pages. By assisting customers in visualising how they will appear and feel while wearing your brand, images of actual customers enhance engagement on product pages. Customers who would ideally prefer to try on an item before purchasing it will benefit greatly from this.
- Social Media Messaging
Fear of missing out is a phenomena that makes us want things more when they are in high demand or limited supply (FOMO). Marketing professionals can benefit from this by using real-time stock levels to alert customers when a product is running low. By displaying the frequency with which an item has recently been purchased or viewed, a comparable outcome can be obtained.
This appeals to customers’ fears of missing out (FOMO) and their desire to accept the wisdom of the crowd (‘Others are purchasing it, so it must be good!’) at the same time.
Our study found that 43% of shoppers want to know how many products are still available before making a purchase. Nevertheless, less than one in ten of the stores we surveyed show their current stock levels on their website, and not a single one offers this information in marketing emails.
- Reviews and ratings
Customer feedback and reviews are an essential component of the purchasing process for consumers. When making a purchase, 61% of buyers look at product reviews, and more than half find star ratings helpful. Only shipping and product information were rated as being more helpful.
There are numerous services available to assist shops in gathering genuine ratings and reviews from verified buyers. This is a fantastic method to maintain a customer’s interest and increase loyalty by demonstrating your appreciation for their input.
At each point of the customer journey, ratings and reviews can be incorporated into emails and site content to promote engagement. Star ratings in mass emails pique interest and promote click-throughs. Customer reviews that go into great detail comfort buyers about the product they were researching in shopping recovery messages.
Since online shoppers cannot physically touch or try on items the way they can in stores, real user reviews on product sites alleviate apprehension and boost conversions.
Marketing on a Large Scale That Enhances Customer Experience
Fashion businesses don’t need to invest in pricey influencer marketing campaigns if they want to take advantage of social proof. Customer reviews, user-generated content, and popularity messaging are scalable strategies that may be used to engage new customers while also fostering customer loyalty.
Brands should comprehend the various social proof strategies available and connect them to customer insights in order to find which ones will be most successful in exceeding consumer expectations. This will help them stand out from the competition. In Fresh Relevance’s Retail Social Evidence Barometer, you can read more about how merchants may benefit from social proof.