Unless your store is a big established brand that most people already know about, building social proof and trust is a must. 80% of people are already concerned about their online privacy so first time customers are not just going to hand over their credit card information and residential address without some proof that you’re a genuine store. We are social animals. We tend to be more likely to do things if our friends, family, and neighbors are also doing them.
On the homepage, you can add elements such as:
- Site-wide testimonials (not product-specific)
- “As Seen On” logos
- Facebook likes
- Number of customers
- Number of reviews
- How long you’ve been open
- Awards
Social proof doesn’t have to be contained only in your homepage.
You could test behavior notifications (e.g. purchase) (see #149). I recommend avoiding them on the homepage, and making sure they’re ultra relevant if you do add them.
I’ve seen some sites with social proof in their category pages, such as the number of reviews. Or take a look at how Sephora shoes the ‘# loves’ (favorites) on their product pages:
See also #59) Aim to have 10+ customer reviews for each product, which is another way to establish social proof.
Non-ecommerce websites can also be good inspiration:
For example, ABTasty’s section above the fold quickly and effectively establishes credibility and social proof, with awards, and logos.
Could you do something similar for your store?
If you have won any awards, you could feature those. If your brand has been featured in well-known magazines or websites, you could put those logos there above the fold.
