6. Did you create a social proof section?

Social credibility is essential because it builds trust with buyers. Because it’s so important to buyers, your home page—the first page people see on your site—should demonstrate social credibility.

The best ways to show signs of social credibility:

Show star ratings below the product name;
Give customers the opportunity to read reviews about the store.

Social proof can take many forms, such as customer testimonials, ratings and reviews, media mentions, case studies, or even the number of customers or followers a business has. Social proof can be displayed in different ways in a website design, such as using quotes from satisfied customers, displaying star ratings, or/and showing the logos of well-known companies that have used the product or service.

A section in website design refers to a section on a website that displays testimonials, reviews, or other forms of social proof from satisfied customers.

Social proof is necessary because it builds trust with the shoppers. Since it is critical for shoppers, your homepage – the first page people see on your website – should feature social proof.

Best ways to feature social proof:

display star ratings below product titles,
an option for shoppers to read reviews of the store,
a visual gallery for previewing top product reviews – must feature pictures of your product,
show product reviews next to your products,
show logos of well-known companies.

Some niches, industries and offers convert a lot better with a social media feed like Instagram’s. Research your competition and test creating this type of section for your website to increase authority which leads to higher conversions. Too many rows or too few (1 – to be exact) have been shown to render the grid overwhelming or overstuffed for the user so they skip it more frequently. That’s why when showing a grid social media feed show a maximum of 2 rows and 4 columns per row to get more attention to it.

Don’t use the social media grid feed when one of these points apply:

there is another review section on the same page,
when the e-store has been sucessfully selling for at least a couple of years,
when no top competitors use it

According to M. Salim et. Al. the customers’ trust must be earned in e-commerce. Online sellers must keep promises and provide commitments to deliver high-quality goods and services, meet customers’ needs and demands, and uphold honesty.

Bad Example

Good Example

Your homepage serves as an introduction to your brand. The first time for many users, and it should guide them to what they need. Failing here makes it difficult to persuade users to shop from you. That's why you need to concentrate your design work on homepage optimization.