15 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Social Proof (eCommerce)

In the absence of a touch-feel-hear experience, eCommerce stores fall back on social proof. 

It’s the principle that assures that if other people have tried it, you can too. 

In this piece, we’ll explore the ins and outs of applying eCommerce social proof in different ways, what the top brands are doing right and some of the most pressing questions businesses are asking about this topic. 

The Most Impactful Ways of Using eCommerce Social Proof

1. Reviews only from verified buyers

Verified customer testimonials show a high level of trust compared to non-verified reviews. The average customer reads 10 online reviews before making a purchase. 

Besides, 92% of online customers are more likely to trust non-paid recommendations than paid ads. 

Bite uses verified reviews across product pages and even highlights it through a sidebar to make it more convincing:

The term Verified Buyer sends trust signals to users vouching for the credibility of this review. Such reviews signal to a potential buyer that the review has come through a credible post-purchase follow-up. 

Why it works:

The questions included in the review make it more humane and relatable. By mentioning each of the pros, users know what to expect from the product. This is great for reducing buyer’s remorse. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Focus on recency: Reviews come with a limited shelf life. The newer the review the greater it drives trust. Prioritize highlighting the most recent reviews (less than 3 months old) first. 

Check out: 15 EASY ways to get customer reviews and boost sales

2. Bring the product alive with a review snapshot

Customers will only buy from a business with a minimum business rating of 3.4 stars. 

User ratings are vanity if they don’t quantify crucial aspects. eCommerce review snapshots are vital at creating an instant impression about the effectiveness of the product and the average experience around it—making it an impactful add-on to a mix of reviews.

Gymshark features review snapshots across product pages, clearly clarifying how many total reviews these quantified aspects are based on:

Why it works:

The review has options for users to answer if they found it useful. 57% of the buyers only buy from a brand that has at least a 4-star rating—what makes this snapshot a winner is that potential buyers can see that most reviews are leaning towards a 5-star rating. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Use relevant schema markup: This makes it easier for search engines to comprehend your reviews and even create rich snippets, which enhances the visibility of your store. 

3. Drive product listings through live streaming

Social proof by common people works better in influencing purchase decisions as compared to celebrities.

User-generated content is not paid and hence has a higher level of trust associated with them. 

87% of the buying decisions begin with online research. User-generated content, especially videos, have a higher engagement rate.  

Verishop has live streams of its customers talking about their experience post-purchase. This is a social proof example for eCommerce brands to follow because 70% of the customers trust a product recommendation from people they don’t know. 

Why it works: 

By watching a customer demonstrate their experience, users are more likely to feel assured that they can confidently buy the product. Focusing on streams that feature users talking about pain points and ultimately resolving them through the product can be highly effective. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Feature live streaming on bestsellers: When you optimize this with try-ons and existing customers talking through the process, chances of conversions improve. 

Further Reading: 27 Brilliant User-Generated Content Examples (eCommerce)

4. Recommend through social proof notifications

Product recommendations are far more trustworthy compared to ads—especially when you're trying to build instant social cognition.

But considering every eCommerce store uses them generously, the latter may feel a greater need to avoid them. 

Flo Living does product recommendations using a vanishing notification, which is also non-intrusive. This elicits curiosity from first-time visitors who may be suffering from the same health problems or looking for the same supplement. 

Why it works:

It shows proof of steady demand. To a new visitor or customer, this indicates the product they’re viewing is selling well. Plus it is non-intrusive and doesn’t interfere with the main experience.

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Combine a vanishing social proof notification with a review snippet: To make this more impactful, have the shopper land on the exact review of that specific product page, when they click on the notification. 

Further Reading: eCommerce Product Recommendations: Strategies, Examples, Do's/Don'ts

5. Be highly responsive on social media

Caring for the customer even if there is no obligation is one of the undeniable ways of building customer connect. 

Lo and behold, 95% of the customers express that trust in a company makes them more likely to remain loyal to a brand. 

This is something that the most committed eCommerce brands have understood and leveraged—Chewy, for example, surprised one of its customers by offering a refund after her dog passed away. 

Why it works:

It conveys that business is not just there to make profits but actually cares about customer experience at large. It’s a fact that businesses which engage more actively with managing their reputation, earn 58% more revenue

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Respond within 24—48 hours: And even if it’s an unflattering comment or review, treat it as an opportunity to understand the problem and offer a quick (and if needed, staggered) solution. 

6. Add social cause to social proof 

Combining cause marketing with social proof can:

• Help you devote your time to social responsibility
• Increase brand loyalty 
• Build trust and long-lasting relationships 

86% of the customers are more likely to buy from purpose-driven companies, even more, if it shares the same beliefs and values as them. 

Chewy uses its social responsibility efforts as a form of social proof. 

Since 2012, it has donated more than $97 million pounds of pet food supply to ensure shelter and rescue animals get the best care they deserve. 

Here’s one of the social proof examples of Chewy’s shelter partners strongly endorsing their good work. 

It has partnered with more than 7500 partners till date:

Why it works:

Offers clear differentiation from other brands in the space—64% of the people report that brands who actively communicate their purpose are more attractive. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Include video testimonials: Including video testimonials to your website about the cause and the difference you’re making can help you connect emotionally with your audience. 

Read Building the Perfect eCommerce About Us Page (& Inspiring Examples)

7. Get experts to endorse

An expert’s stamp of approval demonstrates that your product is legitimate, effective, and safe to use. 

This kind of eCommerce social proof is especially needed if you create / market products that have medicinal, supplemental or disease cure / prevention outcomes. 

Ritual manages to strike a great balance between stating expert justifications while employing a relatable hook (“skeptics speak”): 

Why it works:

When experts speak about specifics either about how a product solves a health issue or how the ingredients work together, shopper confidence improves. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Give your customer support the expert edge: While this isn’t exactly the same as featuring expert reviews or testimonials, it can drive social cognition and confidence and add to your existing eCommerce social proof!

8. Get those press mentions

20% more revenue—that’s how much brands make when they’re consistent with PR efforts. 

And getting good press to feature on your eCommerce store is unbeatable social proof persuasion. 

Oncology-based brand Reliefband ensures they feature nothing but the very best of press mentions:

Why it works: 

Features press names that are relevant in the popular media—making it a great hook for the entire conversion funnel. On the website, this section comes right before the brand displays real customer reviews with a slider—further driving the point that there’s a good reason why so many people are saying good things about it. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

In the absence of big names, stick close to your niche: Reach out to newsletters and magazines that predominantly cover the category you’re in and leave a snippet of what they say below their logo. 

9. Create trust with founder talk

Since stats aren’t lying (91% are confident about buying a product after watching an explainer video), you’d much rather leverage it. 

And when you feature the founder taking audiences through product features or launch information, this creates a more definitive impact. 

This is exactly what Beardbrand makes the most of—you’ll frequently find founder Eric Bandholz describing packaging and features of a product, creating awareness and sometimes even urgency:

Why it works: 

Most customers rely on insider information and the one insider who’s on top of it all is the founder himself!

And founder video or not, customers want to know how to use a product better, why the packaging is really improved and how they can reduce their carbon footprint despite purchases. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Use personal anecdotes to make the storytelling more powerful: If you sell skincare products, for example, a video can cover how the founder arrived at the first product after getting terribly sun tanned in Hawaii 🤷

10. Leverage influencer & celebrity endorsements

Seeing a face featured by a brand you love or aspire to buy from is reason enough for many conversions to happen—reason why 2 out of 10 buyers will shop after seeing a celebrity or influencer endorsement. 

Now if you’re a brand that’s just started out, product seeding may be the first step to achieving this—you send out free samples to a carefully curated list of influencers (and / or celebrities) and feature their reviews / review snippets / photos across your website, socials and even relevant emails. 

This is the kind of visual social proof jewelry brand Missoma makes the most of:

Why it works:

It ensures shoppers understand that this product is currently a bestseller—the effect of which further amplifies when they see images of recognizable faces wearing the product. Also, the CTA creates a compelling case for interested shoppers to click through to view the product (and even buy). 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Link to valid sources of information: If a celebrity or influencer was seen wearing the jewelry you make, mention which event was and add social or website links to it. 

11. Drive subscriptions by featuring relevant feed

Subscriptions can be hard to sell, even if you lead them by quantity discounts. 

But it’s also where some of the best social proof eCommerce examples create hooks that are relevant and inspiring—a case in point is supplement brand Resbiotic.

In their social proof spread, they feature super short videos by both regular buyers and influencers offering the right justifications:

Why it works:

This is a great way to make sense to customers across the funnel, ranging demographics with varied concerns. What also works is the limited number of videos. A video section with a slider would’ve been an overkill because visitors will realistically not click on all that’s featured. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Use a “customer since…” label: This is condition enough for you to choose the longest repeat buyers, which also makes their stance & sharing on your product(s) more trustworthy. 

12. Highlight your certifications

Amongst the best social proof persuasion examples are those that help shoppers see authoritative differentiation in a brand over others. 

Certifications in the space you have your business can bring you exactly this kind of authority—something that dog supplement brand Everroot uses to build trust & credibility:

Why it works:

It’s flanked by a CTA that clearly takes shoppers to a different page with more detail—on the separate page Everroot goes on to elaborate on the ingredients they use and a bit about every mentioned certification. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Feature microcopy on each certification on the homepage itself: This is crucial for shoppers to get a deeper understanding of why and how your business is committed to certain ethical standards. 

13. Talk about awards on product pages

It’s no news that 75% of shoppers prefer businesses that have won awards and accolades. 

This is a kind of social proof example that’ll make scrollers pause when they’re quickly consuming bite-sized information to arrive at a purchase decision. 

Beauty brand Selfmade understands this and features awards specific to some of their bestselling products:

Why it works:

A brief product description and an autoplay video flank the award highlight, making the experience of unboxing the product and using it extremely relatable. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Use a visual social proof award badge: And use it on the main image that the product page is tagged by—this way, people browsing would actually want to scroll more!

14. Show real results to drive confidence

If you sell products that are scientific or health-oriented, the need for potential shoppers to see real-time case studies increases. 

In such cases, you can allay confusion by featuring visual social proof that quantifies before / after scenarios. 

This is exactly what MDAcne does to great effect:

Why it works:

The before / after visuals accompany a review snippet that not only covers how good the product is but also mentions the customer’s experience before using it. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

State if the results are from a clinical trial / study: You can even feature microcopy to clarify if the individual converted after having successfully participated in the study. 

15. Distinguish product reviews from site reviews

Everyone loves a good product review—but most businesses don’t seem to make as much of a site review, which can also be an excellent example of social proof. 

Since site reviews encompass the whole breadth of the customer experience, they can especially be useful in drawing in and retaining first-time visitors. 

Towel brand Onsen understands this and features a separate “Reviews” category which then leads to an independent page:

Why it works:

Separate tabs on product and site reviews tell potential customers where to go if they want info on product quality / performance versus info like delivery, shipping and returns. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 💡

Feature a site review snapshot on the homepage: Here you can display sliders of various important aspects including customer support, best price and easy returns. 

BONUS: 5 eCommerce Brands That Are Setting Social Proof Examples

1. Warby Parker - Triggering social proof through cause marketing

As an eyewear brand that has prioritized customer centricity since the very beginning (be it through competitive pricing or home try-ons), a huge part of Warby Parker’s conversion strategy relies on effective social proof. 

What they’re doing right with social proof eCommerce examples: 

Their “buy a pair, give a pair” program has now wheeled in millions of willing customers for support, running across 75 countries at the moment—this creates a massive bank of social confidence that the brand draws from:

2. ASOS - Inspiring a strong #hashtag game

For the uninitiated, ASOS stands for “As Seen On Screen” and represents one of the fastest-selling, fashion-forward brands. 

Since they began in 2000, they’ve tried multiple successful marketing strategies, including some very successful ones on social media that have elevated their eCommerce social proof game. 

What they’re doing right with Instagram social proof:

Popularizing the hashtag #AsSeenOnMe to help shoppers tag, share and find looks that they love & would love to replicate—to drive faster conversions, they even use this as a plug on their website homepage so that more visitors flock to their socials!

3. Glossier - Making reviews more powerful

Research says shoppers are usually willing to pay 31% more on products that have excellent reviews, which makes this kind of social proof example crucial for conversion success. 

Glossier uses reviews to strategically define their transparency as a brand, a factor that often leads to greater customer trust & loyalty. 

What they’re doing right with eCommerce social proof:

Glossier takes the usual eCommerce review a notch up by highlighting what’s incentivized and also ensuring it’s clear from the review that a repeat customer has given it (something that creates more confidence in potential shoppers):

4. Casper - Driving confidence through BTS information

For high-ticket items, shoppers are usually looking for strong justifications to buy. 

Which means if you have social proof examples that actually talk about what you’re doing behind the scenes as a brand, that can make shoppers stop and take notice—something mattress brand Casper has leveraged to the full extent. 

What they’re doing right with social proof persuasion:

Casper ensures they dedicate a whole page to answer “Why Casper?”—justifying not just how many tests they’ve run to finetune their products but also that they work with a professional ergonomist to arrive at the right solutions:

5. The Honest Company - Featuring research that drives conversions

Social proof persuasion examples for products that resolve a health concern or serve a sensitive population, need to work harder than the usual. 

This is why The Honest Company goes an extra mile to run clinical studies involving real people who use their products and offer feedback. 

What they’re doing right with social proof examples:

The Honest Company publishes the most relevant facts and figures from their clinical trials across product pages to convince visitors:

Other questions brands ask about eCommerce social proof:

Why do eCommerce site owners need social proof? 

eCommerce site owners need social proof because it- 

• Builds trust. 88% of the customers treat online reviews on par with personal recommendations
• Drives purchases. 97% of the customers affirm that online reviews influence their purchase decisions 
• Beats competition. When divided between two products, 35% of the customers stated that better reviews influenced them to buy the higher-priced product. 

To help your eCommerce brand surge, using the right social proof can either make or break you.

Founder's special- eCommerce Marketing Strategy: 31 Immediately Actionable Ideas for 2024

How do I build social proof for my online business? 

You can build social proof with:

🏆 Customer reviews & ratings

🏆 Awards & certifications

🏆 Influencer & celebrity endorsements 

🏆 Press mentions 

🏆 Testimonials from subject matter experts

In order to build social proof for your eCommerce business: 

✔ Check your analytics to determine how many people have bought from you till date (in the absence of verified reviews, this can be strong eCommerce social proof)

✔ Ask for reviews every time a sale goes through. Make it easy to leave reviews and feedback. 

✔ Reach out to a optimized list of macro & micro influencers for product seeding 

✔ List your brand on a third party review site to get unbiased reviews

Terra Origin is listed on TrustPilot which has high credibility. Here is a genuine review showing appreciation:

How do I show social proof on my website? 

You can show social proof on your- 

Home Page 

Finlandia displays its Google reviews on its homepage. 63% of the customers use Google for reviews about a product. 

Caveat: Recency in reviews plays an important role. Don’t ever stop asking your customers for reviews.  

Product page

There are several ways in which social proof persuasion examples can shine across your product pages:

- As visual trust badges (whether you’ve won an award or certification, the main product image can carry this)

- As UGC video talking about the product (or with a common UGC wall that you maintain across product pages)

- As a review snapshot (making it easy for visitors to see and click on reviews - enrich this with media to get more engagement)

Checkout page 

There are two reasons why social proof in checkout can help you drive conversions. 

• 18% of the people don’t trust eCommerce brands with their credit card information. 
• 9% of the customers stated the lack of payment methods 

To build trust signals, you must include Visa, Master Card, Norton Security, or DigiCert trust badges on your checkout page. 

Asos has a DigiCert Trust badge that their data is secure with them. 

Are there subtler ways of using social proof examples?

Yes, apart from what we’ve covered in this piece, there are less popular ways of introducing eCommerce social proof on your site—here are some we’ve helped clients with:

✔ Bring your bestsellers forward (and label them as “Most Loved” or ‘Most Wanted”)

✔ Feature a “customer map” (and show clusters across the top buying regions)

✔ Use a real-time ticker that shows how many products are selling (add a notification segment that pops up every time someone buys a new product - feature the name of the product too!)

What kind of buyer psychology is associated with social proof?

Social proof not only corroborates the value and the authenticity of the brand involved but also show potential customers that they can leave the anxiety behind by creating:

👉 A conformity bias: This is a psychological bias for perspectives that people of a similar kind (geographically, demographically or even by those who share similar concerns) kind, making potential shoppers want to conform to those choices as well when they choose to buy. 

👉 An authority bias: People naturally feel a bias for individuals, organizations or institutions that seem to be higher in the authority hierarchy—hence, buyers tend to believe a positive review coming from a celebrity or expert more!

Does social proof increase conversions? 

Social proof increases conversions without a doubt. Displaying testimonials on your sales page increases your conversion rate by 34%. 

But first: give shoppers enough information about the product. 

Remember: social proof is not a replacement for product description—it’s an addition. 

How do you use social proof in sales? 

The money lies in your high-intent pages. Your checkout pages and contact us pages are the best places for displaying your social proof. 

Here’s a shocking statistic explaining one of the major reasons for cart abandonment. 

18% of the customers state lack of trust in parting with their credit card information. The main reason why you need to include social proof in your checkout pages. 

Source: Baymard 

All said and done, you must have a customer support chat in place so your customers aren’t left hanging. 

Keep in mind- Social proof can help drive attention but a bad product or poor customer service can’t be swept under the rug. 

Social proof is a means to an end but not the end itself.

How does social proof make for a better customer experience? 

Social proof makes for better CX in many different ways including:

👉 Creates relatability with similar customer segments (this allows shoppers to experience a sense of relief about putting their faith in the brand and product)

👉 Offers additional information & perspective (apart from what the brand generates as content & description)

👉 Makes it possible to assess purchase risk (social proof examples clarify whether it’ll be worth it to spend on one product over another or if choosing a subscription over a one-time buy would be feasible)

Impactful UX = More impactful social proof

98% of visitors who visit an eCommerce site—drop off without buying anything even when there's adequate social proof.

Why: user experience issues that cause friction for visitors.

And this is the problem Convertcart solves.

We've helped 500+ eCommerce stores (in the US) improve user experience—and 2X their conversions.

How we can help you:

Our conversion experts can audit your site—identify UX issues, and suggest changes to improve conversions.