Building trust and putting online shoppers at ease are important parts of ecommerce marketing and merchandising, since very few folks will hand over payment card information to a business they are uncertain about.
When confronted with some level of uncertainty — “Is this product right for me?” “Is this an online store I can trust?” — shoppers may use social proof to help make buying decisions. In effect, these customers are willing to put their trust in their peers.
Social Proof in Action
If you look for a textbook or even wiki definition of social proof, you’re likely to find it described as a psychological phenomenon or type of conformity.
