Social proof is essential for eCommerce retailers and brands looking to build trust and drive online conversions. Messages like “23 people are viewing this item”, or “Bought by 110 people in the past 24 hours” can significantly impact purchase decisions and drive conversions, RPV, AOV, and so on.
With numerous vendors offering a range of platform sophistication, how do you choose the right social proof partner for your business?
What the Experts Say
During a Big Ideas panel session at NRF in January, industry expert Ken Pilot sat down with Kacey Sharrett, CDO of Hanna Andersson and Bob Yarbrough, SVP eCommerce from the Knitwell Group to talk about social proof and successful vendor partnerships. Read on for tips on what to look for when investing in a social proof platform and relevant takeaways from the session.
The Proof is in the Pudding
More and more retailers are mandating affordable and low-risk POCs before fully committing to a new tech investment to reduce risk and make sure they are making the right decisions.
For Kacey Sharrett, having the opportunity to do a social proof POC while at GoPro was essential. As an early adopter of social proof, the POC allowed the team to test the impact of social proof before fully investing in the technology. It also meant that they could test out types of messages and frequency before launching across the entire site.
Low Risk with POC – Videos & Webinars
Finding the Right Partner
When investing in a social proof platform, you are not just buying software, you are choosing a long-term partner. The best results from a tech implementation are not just driven by the platform, but by the partnership behind it.
Kacey and Bob agreed that the type of vendor matters. You want someone that brings a strategic partnership to the table, understands your business, delivers aggressive roadmap development and collaborates on new features and testing.
Strategic partnerships and roadmaps – Videos & Webinars
Fast Implementation and Time to Value
The faster and easier implementation, the fast time to value, a critical KPI in today’s market.
Taggstar customers agree that social proof is fast and straightforward to deploy allowing teams to focus on strategy and optimization rather than heavy engineering work. Taggstar’s platform can be implemented in weeks and retailers often see results immediately. In fact, according to Kacey and Bob, the more challenging point of implementation was aligning internally on design and placement with the brand teams.
“At GoPro, the hardest part wasn’t the implementation,” Casey shared. “It was sitting with the brand team and deciding what messages truly reflect who we are.”
Service, Support and Optimization
The level of support as well as continuous optimization is critical for a successful implementation of new tech. Social proof is no different. You’ll want to find a partner that offers hands-on onboarding, training and dedicated customer success resources.
An expert partner will work with the retailer to ensure best implementation and ongoing optimization including best practices for message types, placement, design etc.
“It’s great to have an expert to do that because honestly, to do it yourself is a very big undertaking”.
Cost, ROI and Durability
With budget cuts and resource limitations retailers and brands are more focused on costs and ROI than ever before. Not only should the cost and pricing model align with your business, the best technology investments continue to deliver ROI.
Bob from Knitwell Group, said it best.
“We expected a big newness factor that didn’t pan out. This has a real, durable impact on customers—even loyal ones.”
Durability of the Taggstar Investment – Videos & Webinars
Making Your Decision
Selecting a social proof messaging platform requires balancing technical capabilities, brand fit, performance, cost, scalability, and partnership quality. Some retailers prioritize technical sophistication, others emphasize partnership and support.
Request references from similar customers. Take advantage of proof-of-concept periods. Test rigorously. Ask difficult questions.
By thoroughly evaluating both the technology and the partnership, you will find a vendor who not only meets your needs today but can adapt and grow with you for years to come.
Learn More About Social Proof and Taggstar
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