Last month I attended a live webinar led by Dr. Robert Cialdini. He is the author of the seminal book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. If you haven’t read his work, you’re almost certainly aware of his influence on e-commerce. He’s probably the intellectual brain behind many of the conversion optimization techniques we all rely on. He invented the concept of social proof.
Through his work, Cialdini has evolved persuasion from the offline world to the online world. And new elements of social media’s role in shopping are emerging.
product discovery
The way consumers discover products has changed.
Research shows that more than three-quarters of online shoppers discover products on social media. Two-thirds use social media for their weekly shopping. This percentage is even higher among Gen Zers, from their teens to their mid-20s, who primarily use Instagram and TikTok when looking for new products and services.
But while social enables discovery, three-quarters of consumers prefer to buy directly from a brand or retailer.
Therefore, the sales funnel will be very different than it is today. purchase trip It often starts with social and ends with an e-commerce site.
reduce uncertainty
robert cialdini
Many of Cialdini’s efforts aim to reduce uncertainty and assist consumers in making purchasing decisions. Social is a paradox. Lack of trust deters consumers. But creators and influencers offer reassurance, as well as built-in social proof like likes, follows, comments, and ratings.
So I went to the webinar. I asked Dr. Cialdini how brands should use social media, given his principles of authority, social proof, scarcity, and reciprocity.
He pointed out that brands need to leverage the power of media to highlight their strengths.
he said to me: “If a brand is truly rare or has diminishing availability, use it. If there’s a true expert voice, that’s it. And a lot of people If you have evidence that we are moving towards that, use it.”
Social media is a game changer, he said, adding: “We now have access to the opinions of people from all over the world who have similar interests and make similar choices to us. Thousands of people can rate your experience. This has never been possible before. Your friends and those around you. What we’re doing has always been powerful, but now we have access to information like never before.”
With social media, we can engage “98% of the world in a tool that reduces this uncertainty. That’s why it’s become so powerful, and the more we embrace it, the more we embrace it. , which is why more people will want to consider what we have to offer in the process.”
connection with people
We asked Dr. Cialdini about the role of social media. influencer As a source of paid authority.
He mentioned the human side. “Recently, I saw a study that showed that the popularity of handmade products has increased by 37% in the past 10 years, even though the quality of the products has declined. Why the increase? We increasingly shop separately and work separately. We press buttons on screens and entertain ourselves separately.”
Cialdini went on to reference a number of studies showing how evidence persuades shoppers. He particularly likes the evidence you get from testimonials because they’re real people, saying, “When there’s a person there, consumers tend to pay attention to it.”
Lastly, Cialdini had some interesting advice regarding reviews.
“Because of technology, we are institutionally separated from each other. social proof We judge by the number and quality of reviews, which gives us authority. However, I would like to suggest a small change. Instead of listing the number of reviews, sellers should list the number of reviews. reviewer. Instead of listing the number of testimonials, you should list the number of testimonials. witness Because they are real people. ”
Furthermore, he added: Click. What is a reviewer or witness? It’s a human being – someone like me. It’s an individual. ”
