Nothing more, nothing less: ‘social proof’ must be about user experience

TripAdvisor may still come out tops when it comes to driving conversions but consumers are finding other ways to ‘social proof’ their trip

Users of social networks are increasingly using their circles to find inspiration for or to endorse their travel plans. Unsurprisingly, this trend, coined ‘social proofing’, is something that travel e-commerce players are keen to tap into, and even faciliate. After all, an endoresement from somebody you know and trust is more real and believable than one from a complete stranger.

 

According to travel technology firm Switchfly, today ‘influential feedback’ is being integrated into mainstream e-commerce properties to highlight satisfaction with travel-related offerings in the booking funnel. This can take a range of forms, from a popularity rating iconography to reviews, urgency messaging, likes, commments and so on.

 

In conversation with Switchfly’s chief marketing officer, Dario Ambrosini, Ritesh Gupta heard about the role of the social proof in decision-making and integrating it into e-commerce platforms.

 

EFT: How would you assess the maturity of the so-called ‘social proof’ in the travel e-commerce category?  

 

DA: Social proof has driven a great shift in travel planning over the past few years. We’ve moved from the classic celebrity endorsement push marketing that existed for decades to a more democratic system where anybody can publish their views on social media and travel planners can search for it at their convenience. That allows for a more personalised experience, which for me is far more powerful than any celebrity endorsement. We still have a lot of work to do in order to achieve true personalisation. Today’s average traveller has far more information available to them than even the most informed traveller 20 years ago.

 

EFT: Can you explain the role of the social proof in the booking funnel?  

 

DA: Social proof is a great way for travel bookers to validate their purchase decision based on other people’s experiences. That validation inevitably leads to greater conversion rates. Think of a couple booking a honeymoon to Hawaii. They can book their entire trip with a great deal of confidence thanks to social proof by searching for romantic hotels on TripAdvisor, romantic dinner spots on Yelp, and romantic views on Pinterest. Knowing that others consider these spots to be romantic helps the couple make an informed decision and book everything before even starting their trip.

 

EFT: What is the benefit of integrating the social proof and what are your recommendations?  

 

DA: Each company is different so I would start by learning everything you can about your customers and tailoring the social proof to their needs. With that in mind, I would advise every e-commerce manager to avoid information overload or social proof that completely lacks user context – something that is very easy to do, given the amount of data available. For example, adventure travel probably means something very different to a single college-aged student than it does to a middle-aged parent of three. A good e-commerce platform will help users find the relevant social proof to improve the customer experience. A poor e-commerce platform will either provide irrelevant information or, even worse, lead the booker down the incorrect path.

 

EFT: In your view, how do you increase the chances of a purchase with great content and design?

 

DA: It’s much easier said than done, but personalising that experience is the best way to increase the likelihood of a purchase. Once again, I would start with learning as much as possible about my customers in order to create the most relevant sign. From there, personalisation can range from high level segmentation all the way to 1:1 marketing, which most major airline and hotel loyalty programmes have really started to embrace. 

 

EFT: How relevant are ‘’Facebook likes’, ‘tweets’, ‘pins’ and so on?

 

DA: I wouldn’t worry too much about metrics that simply quantify a generic interaction. If you create relevant content and interact with your customers, the likes, tweets and pins will follow. If you drive those metrics simply for the sake of achieving a quantitative goal, you’ve missed the true benefits of social proof. 

 

EFT: Other than social media, can you explain how star ratings and customer reviews impact decision-making?

 

DA: Hotel gross bookings on the Switchfly platform topped $500 million last year so we play close attention to anything that affects conversion rates. User reviews provide a great lift in conversion rates and in our experience TripAdvisor works the best. Star ratings, which I don’t really consider to be social proof, play a more prominent role in the filter process. 

 

EFT: Tell us about urgency messaging – what it is and how it is being use?

 

DA: Urgency can increase sales by providing the buyer with an incentive to purchase sooner rather than later. There are plenty of examples in the travel industry, such as airlines listing the number of seats remaining for a certain price, promotional deals that must be booked by a certain date, and upgrades or add-ons that are discounted when a hotel room is purchased but only available for full price after that. It can be very effective as long as you are honest with buyers. Transparency and honesty will build great trust with your customers. Fake urgency will kill it.

 

EFT: How should one focus on integrating ‘social proof’ in the website design?

 

DA: I think the question you need to ask is ‘how can brands use social proof to improve the user experience?’ We strongly feel it should help users make the best decision for themselves rather than the best decision for the brand because that’s a great way to drive long-term loyalty.

 

EFT: What sort of improvement would you like to see as far as presentation of social proof in mobile apps is concerned?

 

DA: I would like to see more companies take advantage of all the unique capabilities offered by mobile. Far too many companies simply use mobile like a desktop with a smaller screen. There are very few companies that currently use mobile to revolutionise a process or interaction, like Uber has done for ground transportation.

 

This interview with Switchfly, a sponsor of Smart Travel Analytics New York, is published as as part of EyeforTravel’s sponsored content initiative.

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