What is social proof in marketing?
Social proof in marketing and eCommerce leverages real-time actions and authentic customer behaviour to provide reassurance and reduce perceived risk among potential customers. It establishes credibility and builds confidence, ultimately paving the way to higher conversions as trust is effectively demonstrated. Common examples of social proof include:
- customer reviews and ratings
- customer testimonials
- celebrity and influencer endorsements
- real-time social proof messaging and more.
In eCommerce, social proof is extremely important, leading to more engaging customer experiences, higher online conversion rates and reduced returns.
In this article, we delve deeper into why social proof works and how to create an effective social proof strategy to boost ROI.
The psychology of social proof
The psychology of social proof, first defined by Robert Cialdini, explains our tendency to mirror the actions of others – especially in uncertain situations. In marketing, this principle underpins how brands build trust through customer behaviour, expert endorsements, and real-time shopper activity.
Want to learn more? Explore our comprehensive definition of social proof for a deeper dive into the psychology behind it.
Why social proof matters in marketing
Social proof plays a crucial role in marketing by fostering trust and credibility among potential customers. When individuals see others endorsing a product or service, it reassures them that they are making a sound decision. This collective validation can significantly influence their purchasing behavior, as people often look to the experiences of others to guide their choices.
Moreover, social proof can enhance a brand’s reputation and encourage customer loyalty. By showcasing testimonials, reviews, and user-generated content, businesses can create a sense of community and belonging. This not only strengthens the relationship between the brand and its audience but also helps to establish a reliable image in a competitive market.
Building an effective social proof strategy
There are several ways to incorporate social proof into your marketing activities to deliver more trustworthy and engaging customer experiences. By leveraging social proof to showcase what other people are buying from a site and highlighting that customers are happy with the products and services sold, most retailers and brands see immediate results, including higher online conversions, more engagement, fewer returns, increased AOV (average order value) and more.
Social Proof in marketing and eCommerce examples
1. The Wisdom of the Crowd
Social proof messaging pools the wisdom of the crowd to help customers with product discovery and making purchasing decisions with confidence.
Key Tips:
- Social proof messaging should always be based on real-time data – without this, you expose your brand to risk.
- Use simple, factual messages tailored to suit your brand tone of voice
- Ensure you can implement this technology across Product Listing Pages (PLPs), Product Description Pages (PDPs), Checkout Pages, Display Ads, Native App, Emails, Social Media, and Digital OOH
- Deploy A/B testing to rigorously test statistically significant uplifts
- Ensure Machine Learning is built in as standard
2. User Generated Content / Shared Content
UGC or Shared Content is often referred to as ‘earned’ content. This may happen naturally, but there are very effective tactics you can employ to maximise UGC for your brand:
Key Tips:
- Encourage customers to share photos of their recent purchase in return for discounts on their future purchase, prizes for the best content or even simply increased exposure. Using emails and leaflets with the items when delivered, are two easy ways to communicate this whilst encouraging customers to tag you and use your preferred hashtags for maximum exposure
- Reshare their content (with their permission!) on your main channel, ensuring you reciprocate the @. This shows your followers that if they share great content, they may get additional exposure for their own handle
- Share in your stories and link through to the product(s) being shown
EXAMPLE: This example from Steve Madden perfectly showcases how they’ve both encouraged UGC and woven it into their eCommerce site.
3. Reviews, case studies, customer comments and testimonials:
Consumers rely on other consumers to learn about products and often become (often unknowingly) brand advocates through user-generated content (UGC) like customer reviews, photos and Q&A.
Key Tips:
- Go deeper than ‘comments’ alone. Layer this with fit, quality, value, and which size and/or colour variant the customer chose
- Reviews can be pulled into social proof messaging and deliver even greater ROI uplifts as seen in the example below from Wickes.
4. Influencer/celebrity endorsements
IInfluencer marketing has become a fundamental channel for many eCommerce brands. Not only can this help your brand reach new audiences, but it also helps align your brand and its values with those of their followers
Key Tips:
- The influencer or celebrity’s own style and tone of voice should lead the content, rather than be led by your brand, to retain authenticity
- Developing new product lines in collaboration with influencers will deliver even greater authority
EXAMPLE: Fabletics has a network of influencers that they collaborate with and promote their content across Instagram, Tik Tok, their website and app.
5. Expert opinion, accreditations and third-party endorsements
Independent third-party accreditation provides consumers with a verified ‘stamp of approval’. This can be particularly powerful for items requiring a high investment
On social platforms, this can be as simple as having the verification symbol on your handle
Key Tips:
- Leverage existing partnerships and industry relationships. This could be in the form of awards you may have won, industry standards you’ve achieved and industry body reviews
- On social platforms, this can be as simple as having the verification symbol on your handle
6. Credentials
Almost all companies will have their own credentials that can be used to showcase authority and credibility, such as:
- the number of customers they have
- how many years they’ve been operating
- which countries they operate in
- how many items have been sold
- the number of reviews given
EXAMPLE: This example from Crew Clothing demonstrates this perfectly by aligning the years they’ve been established with timeless British style.
7. Combining social proof techniques
These social proof tactics do not need to be used in isolation. By understanding which are most important to your customers at each point of the buying journey, they can be combined to great effect.
Boost marketing success with Taggstar’s real-time social proof
At Taggstar, our experts have pioneered real-time social proof technology, helping global eCommerce brands implement scalable social proof marketing strategies that deliver measurable results. Our social proof messaging solution strategically builds trust and credibility throughout the digital buying journey, significantly reducing customer uncertainty. By demonstrating value and reducing perceived risk, Taggstar helps brands establish stronger reputations, naturally leading to increased conversions and sustained sales growth.
Many leading retailers have already achieved measurable results with Taggstar’s social proof technology:
- The Very Group achieved over a 15% improvement in conversion rates, demonstrating how consistent testing and optimisation can drive ROI.
- Fabletics saw a 3.19% increase in conversions after integrating Taggstar’s social proof messaging across their site.
- Steve Madden reported a 5.41% uplift in conversion rates and stronger customer engagement.
Getting started with social proof in your marketing strategy
Social proof can be woven into your eCommerce, digital and overall marketing strategy with almost immediate effect and deliver statistically significant ROI uplifts in a matter of weeks. Taggstar’s social proof solutions can help you take your real-time purchasing behaviour to deliver consistent and measurable conversion rate uplifts from day 1. Whether you’re building a social proof digital marketing campaign or refining your eCommerce and social proof approach, results can be tracked and optimised in real-time.
What to look for when selecting social proof messaging solutions for your business
- AI-powered social proof based on real-time data taken directly from the retail/brand’s own systems
- Simple, factual messages tailored to suit your brand tone of voice
- Platform-agnostic implementation that works across any eCommerce platform
- Multiple channel integration (e.g. website, social, display ads, native app, email, OOH)
- A/B testing to rigorously test statistically significant uplifts
- The ability to integrate different types of social proof to increase conversion rates
- The right solution enables brands to turn behavioural data into persuasive, real-time messaging – transforming social proof into a powerful ROI-driven marketing strategy.
FAQs about social proof in marketing and eCommerce
Q1. What is real-time social proof?
Real-time social proof shows live shopper activity – such as “15 people bought this in the last hour.” It creates urgency, builds trust, and helps increase conversions in eCommerce environments.
Q2. How can I use social proof in marketing?
You can use social proof by displaying reviews, ratings, influencer endorsements, or real-time shopper data across your digital channels. Combining these techniques builds trust and reinforces brand credibility.
Q3. What is a social proof strategy?
A social proof strategy is a structured approach to integrating credibility signals (like reviews or expert endorsements) across your marketing and eCommerce touchpoints to maximise ROI.
Q4. How does social proof impact eCommerce?
Social proof reassures online shoppers, reduces hesitation, and drives higher conversion rates – especially when powered by real-time data from platforms like Taggstar.
Q5. What are examples of social proof in digital marketing?
Examples include testimonials, influencer collaborations, user-generated content, expert endorsements, and real-time notifications that display live shopper activity.
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