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Glossary

Social proof

Social proof is the tendency of shoppers to trust a product more when they can see other people choosing it: reviews, ratings, customer photos and videos, view counts, and bestseller labels. In e-commerce it reduces the perceived risk of buying from a brand you do not know yet.

Social proof
DefinitionsSocial proof

Social proof is the tendency of shoppers to trust a product more when they can see other people choosing it: reviews, ratings, customer photos and videos, view counts, and bestseller labels. In e-commerce it reduces the perceived risk of buying from a brand you do not know yet.

First-time shoppers on a D2C store carry one big question: is this legit and will it work for me. Social proof answers it with evidence from other buyers instead of brand claims, which is why review widgets and customer videos lift conversion.

Video is the strongest form because it is the hardest to fake: a real person, a real product, in real use. That credibility is exactly what a static testimonial quote lacks.

On beyondRegular

A shoppable video carousel of real customer clips is social proof you can buy from directly. On beyondRegular you can also show view counts on a video, so a clip that has been watched thousands of times signals popularity the way a bestseller badge does.

Common questions

Is social proof the same as a testimonial?

A testimonial is one type of social proof: a written or recorded endorsement. Social proof is broader: it also includes ratings, review counts, customer photos and videos, view counts, trust badges, and 'X people bought this' signals. Video customer reviews combine testimonial and social proof in one asset.

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