Social proof is a key marketing tool that shows people look at others’ opinions to make decisions. Positive reviews and recommendations help build trust and guide customer choices. In this blog, we’ll explore how using real feedback and genuine experiences can strengthen your brand’s credibility, build customer loyalty, and drive growth. Learn how social proof can enhance your marketing strategy and boost your success. Understanding Social Proof In marketing, social proof is the idea that people look at what others are doing to decide what to buy. It makes them feel that their decision is validated because they are following the norms. This means people will often check reviews and recommendations before making a purchase. We don’t always notice how social proof affects our daily lives. For example, before picking a restaurant, we check the reviews to see the star ratings. One has a 4.6-star rating while the other has a 4.8-star rating. So which would you choose? In this case, we tend to choose the one with the highest stars since it seems more reliable. Why? Because it feels like the safest bet and reassures us that we’re making a good decision. However, keep in mind that although social proof can be helpful, it has its disadvantages. One of the biggest issues is that it can be manipulated, such as creating fake reviews or inflated ratings. How Social Proof Builds Customer Trust and Loyalty We’ve learned about what social proof is and how it works. However, why exactly is social proof important? It’s because social proof helps in shaping your customer behavior since people tend to pay more for a product with good reviews. Let’s learn about how social proof builds customer trust and loyalty: Showing positive feedback One important tip to keep in mind is that customers are more inclined to trust reviews that come from real humans. Naturally, customers trust feedback from real people who have already bought from your store. This gives them confidence and peace of mind. You can consider using a verified badge or medal to prevent fake reviews. And, to make sure your reviews go beyond just a quick “This product is good,” you can offer incentives like a discount code or free shipping for leaving a review. Apps like Judge.me, integrated into the Ako Marketing app, can help. You can create a verified badge and share customer ratings on social media to build trust. These features help your brand stand out in search results. Providing evidence of quality As customers increasingly turn to social media, UGC is becoming more important. Customers want to see real-life use of products to ensure they deliver on their promises. Normally, UGC comes from influencers with many followers, likes, and engagement. This has several advantages. First, people trust influencers with high followers. Second, UGC often includes honest feedback from real customers. This type of content can lead to transparency and trust. However, merchants must choose reliable influencers. Some influencers with many followers might use bots to increase their numbers. If you haven’t had the opportunity to collaborate with content creators and turn UGC content into shoppable feeds for your store, you can try out Tagshop in Shopify. Apps like Tagshop can help you create powerful shoppable experiences for your customers by leveraging authentic content and integrating them into your marketing touchpoints. Celebrating your member’s participation We all love a good reward, and so do your customers! A great way to use this is by setting up a reward system that gives your members bonus points, special discounts, or cool gifts when they refer friends or family to your brand. Referrals are a powerful type of social proof because they come from real people who genuinely like your brand and want to share it. These personal recommendations are often more convincing to new customers than regular ads. Apps like Ako Marketing can make this process easy and effective. With Ako Marketing, you can track referrals, automate rewards, and highlight top referrers, making it simple to celebrate and leverage your members' participation. Bonus Tip: Highlight your top referrers with a “Top Referrers” leaderboard or feature them in your newsletters. When potential members see others getting rewarded for their referrals, it builds trust and shows that your program is popular and valued. To send newsletters highlighting your top referrers, you can use Klaviyo integrated in the Ako Marketing app. Klaviyo makes it easy to design and send personalized emails, so you can showcase your top referrers and keep your members engaged. Learn from the Best: Social Proof Case Studies Now that we’ve covered social proof and customer loyalty, let’s explore how to apply these concepts to your marketing strategies. Below, we’ll discuss the best social proof case studies to help drive sales for your business. PayPal’s Referral Program Got Them 100M Users Ever wonder how the famous PayPal acquired their first customers? The answer is, through social proof = referral program. When PayPal first started, they needed to find a way to increase their user base as traditional advertising and banking deals were ineffective. So, they came up with a solution: Offer $20 for signing up and $20 for referring new users, which was then adjusted to $5 per sign up. The results? A crazy viral growth rate of 7% - 10% daily growth rate. It’s crazy! Of course, when done right, a referral program can help your business grow too. Scaling Airbnb 100X Through Customer Reviews Today, Airbnb is known as a travel community. It started as a marketplace for short-term lodging and has since evolved into a global community. But, how did it gain popularity? Through customer reviews. When they first started, they had a challenge of scaling the marketplace and building trust after a high-profile incident. So, here are the changes they did: Implemented a Two-Way Rating System: Both guests and hosts see each other's feedback at the same time to avoid any negative reactions. Collected Detailed Feedback: Gathered ratings and written comments from users to make listings and experiences better. Used Feedback for Improvements: Made changes to hosts' properties and services based on the feedback received. The Result? Airbnb kept their sales and marketing costs lower than competitors by focusing on earning growth from happy customers. They saw that 70% of their website traffic came from direct visits, which shows they were growing strongly on their own. From this, we can learn that a strong, transparent feedback system can significantly enhance customer trust and drive business growth. Conclusion In conclusion, social proof builds customer trust and loyalty by showcasing real reviews and recommendations. Businesses can boost their reputation and attract more customers by using authentic feedback, demonstrating product quality, and rewarding referrals. A strong social proof strategy not only enhances credibility but also drives growth, while keeping marketing costs lower. By leveraging genuine customer experiences and referrals, companies can effectively grow their brand and increase customer satisfaction.

Online sales for the e-commerce market are likely to reach USD$1.82 trillion by the end of 2024. This allows merchants to access a wide range of products and services with just a few clicks. By focusing on customer lifetime value (CLTV), Shopify stores can shift their strategy from short-term revenue to long-term growth fostering customer loyalty and repeat purchases. Let's dive into some strategies to increase performance, maximize CLTV, and take your store to the next level. Why Does CLTV Matter? Understanding CLTV, you'll know how much revenue a customer can bring to you over time. It will also help you focus on building stronger relationships with your customers, encouraging them to make repeat purchases and stay loyal to your store. This will not only reduce the cost of constantly acquiring new customers but also increase organic growth through word-of-mouth referrals. High-CLTV customers will bring in more predictable revenue that can increase your revenue by 25% to 95%, which will make managing cash flow easier and ensure financial stability. Strategies to Maximize CLTV Now that we’ve understood what CLTV is and why it matters, here are some practical strategies you can implement to maximize your store’s CLTV: 1.Implement Personalized Marketing When customers are presented with information that feels relevant and personalized, they’re more likely to stay engaged with your brand.In some cases, what makes a customer return to a store is the positive shopping experience. This is because when we provide a relevant and personalized experience, customers will feel that they are remembered and valued. Merchants can use CRM software to analyze customer behavior and offer targeted promotions to create this effect. One way to provide a personalized experience is by sending your customers a birthday email, or a Thank You email with their name on it. Ako Marketing Tip: Use your customer’s name in your headline to grab their attention. Tools like Klaviyo, which integrates with Shopify, help stores gather customer data and send personalized email and SMS campaigns. Klaviyo also automates follow-up emails for abandoned carts and identifies loyal customers for custom offers. When combined with Ako Marketing’s Loyalty Program, it can trigger personalized emails based on VIP tiers, further enhancing retention and encouraging repeat purchases. 2.Enhance Loyalty Program and Rewards The key to a successful CLTV strategy is to keep your existing customers engaged and encourage them to spend more. But how can we do this without overwhelming them? A well-designed loyalty program can help. It’s an effective way to keep customers coming back and increase their lifetime value. You can reward customers for actions like making purchases, referring friends, or engaging on social media. Keep in mind that customers love instant rewards! This means that rewards should be easy to claim and immediate. For example, China Airlines offers a “Welcome Offer” to customers who just signed up, which is a great way to provide instant rewards. Apps like Ako Marketing can simplify the management of these loyalty programs. For example, Ako Marketing automatically tracks customer activity, awards points, and sends personalized offers based on behavior, making it easier for stores to engage customers and drive repeat purchases. These programs not only reward customers but also provide valuable data that helps stores personalize their marketing efforts and maximize CLTV. A great example of this is the Taiwanese lifestyle brand LHS, which saw impressive results after introducing a loyalty program. Here’s what they achieved: 11% increase in returning customers 18% rise in average order value (AOV) 70% growth in loyalty program sign-ups 3. Optimize Customer Support A customer’s shopping experience isn’t always perfect and smooth. There are times when customers feel dissatisfied. To address this, it’s crucial for merchants to have fast and effective customer support. In fact, when done correctly, it could be an opportunity for merchants to showcase their prompt and helpful assistance in resolving issues. This can eventually lead to a higher satisfaction rate and shopping experience. For example, Costco is known for its excellent customer service both online and offline. Their support includes handling questions, processing returns, and assisting with both in-store and online purchases. Clearly, this results in strong member loyalty and CLTV Apps like MooseDesk, offer an intuitive live chat feature to empower your team to deliver exceptional service and drive sales. MooseDesk's live chat feature ensures you never miss a message and enables swift resolutions across multiple channels. 4. Leverage Cross-Selling and Upselling Cross-selling and upselling are everywhere in our life. For example, when you're about to complete a purchase on UberEats, they often offer you a bundle deal at a discounted price. That’s Crosselling and Upselling! Cross-selling is when you offer extra products that go well with what a customer is already buying (suggesting french fries when on a burger). Upselling is when you offer a more advanced version of what they're interested in (upgrading a hotel room). So how does it increase your CLTV? Let’s take a look at this graph: We’ve found that it’s more likely to sell products to existing customers than to new ones. For merchants, this means you can focus on offering new products to your current customers instead of spending time acquiring new ones. Plus, who doesn’t love a bundle deal? Customers can save more money, and they will feel like they are getting more value out of their purchase! Merchants can use apps like Upsell and Cross-Sell to do this. Assigning Cross-Sells, Upsells, and Frequently Bought Together bundles boosts sales and enhances the customer experience. Conclusion In summary, it’s important to take a look at a store’s CLTV metric to help you in your marketing strategy. Some strategies you can include to boost your CLTV includes personalized marketing, a loyalty program and a great customer service. These methods not only help keep your current customers but also promote long-term growth and higher revenue. Try these strategies now to elevate your store’s success!

Loyalty programs are everywhere these days. You can probably find them at your favorite coffee shop or your online store. But how well do you understand the impact of a loyalty program on customer behavior? Whether you’re just starting out or understanding the psychology behind loyalty programs is key to unlocking their full potential. Let’s learn the psychological principles that make these programs so effective How Loyalty Programs Work You’ve probably come across a loyalty program before. For example, when you go to a store and, upon paying, the cashier asks if you’re interested in joining their membership program to earn perks on future purchases. That’s what a loyalty program is all about—rewarding your loyalty to encourage repeat business. Let’s explore how these programs work and why they’re so effective Points-based system: Whenever customers make a purchase, they earn a point that can be exchanged for rewards, such as discounts, free shipping or products. Tiered programs: The more a customer spends, the higher their tier level is and the more rewards they receive Referral program: It’s when your current customers get rewarded for bringing a new customer to your brand To see which loyalty program best suits your store, you can read this blog. With all these different types of loyalty programs let’s learn how they all work. Here are the three psychological principles: The Psychology Behind Loyalty Programs 1. Recognizing your customers behavior by rewarding them Remember when we were kids and getting a sticker from your teacher felt like the best thing ever? The same concept applies to loyalty programs today. Your customers get motivated to take action, such as making a purchase. Make sure the rewards not only make your customers feel good but also address their needs or solve a problem. For example, Walgreens’ Balance Rewards program encourages healthier behavior by rewarding customers with discounts on medications, vitamins, and groceries when they take actions like walking more or get flu shots. By offering rewards that align with your customers’ needs and desires, you’re not just selling a product—you’re providing a solution. Ako Marketing Tip: With Ako Marketing, you can effortlessly design a meaningful loyalty program using VIP tiers, point systems, and referral features to drive engagement and loyalty. 2. Creating FOMO by Exclusivity No one likes missing out. This Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) drives people to seek inclusion in exclusive groups or deals. By creating a VIP membership program, you can leverage this desire to boost customer engagement. First, you can launch a "Members-Only Collection" that includes limited-edition items available only to loyalty members. Nike is a good example. They rebranded their membership program to be more exclusive, offering a “Nike By You” service, where members can customize sneakers with unique colorways, patterns, and materials. This sense of exclusivity makes customers feel special and increases their loyalty to the brand. Ako Marketing Tip: Launch limited-time offers and exclusive collections for your VIP members. Ensure that the rewards are easily accessible and provide instant gratification. Using apps like Klaviyo integrated with Ako Loyalty Retargeting CRM, you can create personalized offers that make your customers feel truly valued. Adidas has also successfully tapped into this exclusivity with their membership program. Members get access to exclusive perks such as Adidas Member’s Week, special events, early access to product drops, and even opportunities to win tickets to sporting events. These exclusive benefits make customers feel valued and part of a special community. They have over 200 million members, whose customer lifetime value is twice as high compared to non-members. Additionally, members are 50% more likely to make a purchase compared to non-members. 3. Building Personal Attachment Loyalty is like a relationship since it requires effort to make it last. To truly make your customers invested, you need to go beyond transactional interactions and focus on building genuine connections. Once customers commit to something, they are more likely to stick with it to maintain a consistent self-image. Your loyalty program can start by encouraging small and easy commitments, like signing up for a newsletter. If you’d like to learn how a loyalty program can boost your customers' spending, you can check out this blog. Here’s how you can build strong connections with your customers: Understanding your customers To build a real connection with your customers, you need to understand who they are and what matters to them. Here are two ways you can do: Use data analytics: When you use a CRM software, you can easily track your customers behavior and preferences accurately. Numbers never lie! Customer surveys: To show your customers that you value their voices, you can conduct surveys. Ask questions about their preferences, expectations, and experiences with your brand. Ako Tip: Ako Marketing’s CRM software offers powerful analytics tools that can help you track customer behaviors, preferences, and trends, making it easier to tailor your loyalty program to their needs. Sharing your brand’s story Customers are more likely to stick with a brand that aligns with their values. Sharing your brand’s story, achievements, and values can create a lasting connection. Here’s what you can do: Storytelling: You can highlight your brand’s history, achievements, and the impact you make. Transparent Practices: With the rising awareness of sustainability, people nowadays value transparency. Consider integrating sustainable practices into your brand! Ako Marketing Tip: Highlight your brand’s commitment to sustainability or other values through storytelling. Use Judge.me integrated with Ako Marketing to feature reviews that praise your eco-friendly practices, helping you connect with customers who care about these issues. Making your customers feel special Everyone loves feeling valued. Simple gestures like remembering a customer’s birthday or engaging with them on social media can make a significant difference in how they perceive your brand. Remember their birthdays: Reach out to your customers during their birthday and give them a reward through email. This will make them feel valued and appreciated! Engage on social media: Be active! Engage with your customers on social media platforms by responding to their comments and sharing UGC content. Pro Marketing Tip: Use Ako’s Instagram DM automation to engage with your customers on social media. Automatically send personalized DMs or reply to comments, driving higher engagement and conversion rates. Additionally, use Tagshop to track and feature user-generated content (UGC) that includes your products. Sharing these posts on your social media channels can create engaging, shoppable content that drives traffic to your store. Conclusion A strong loyalty program connects with customers on a deeper level. Offer rewards that matter to them and make them feel special. Create a sense of exclusivity and that shows you understand their needs and values. Engage with them personally and make them feel appreciated. This approach will build lasting loyalty and strengthen your relationship with your customers. Start making your loyalty program meaningful today!

We’re thrilled to reveal that Centous and Akohub are teaming up! This exciting partnership will combine our strengths to bring you top-tier technology and digital solutions. We’re committed to delivering innovative solutions that will help your business grow and succeed. About Centous Centous helps you to boost your store’s customer engagement and conversion rates with their intuitive like button app. By adding a like button to your product pages, you allow visitors to easily express their preferences, creating valuable social proof that influences other customers’ buying decisions. This feature not only highlights your most popular products but also enhances the shopping experience. Trusted by leading brands, Centous is designed for easy setup and provides real-time insights into customer preferences. Key Features: Like Button Integration: Display a like button on your product pages and featured products to engage customers and showcase popular items. Real-Time Insights: Easily track the most liked products and total likes across your store to understand customer preferences. Customizable Design: Tailor the like button to your brand by adjusting the icon and colors to align with your store’s primary design. Enhanced Engagement: Improve customer interaction and increase your store’s conversion rate by leveraging social proof. Exportable Reports: Generate and export detailed reports of liked products, including product names and the number of likes, to refine your marketing strategy. Take Action Today! With the Centous x Akohub partnership, you’re set to experience a new level of innovation and efficiency. Our combined expertise in advanced product customization and powerful marketing tools is designed to help your business thrive. About Akohub Akohub is the all-in-one marketing app that empowers Shopify stores with loyalty programs, marketing funnels, and retargeting features. Akohub’s mission is to help businesses thrive by enhancing customer retention, engagement, and sales, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for e-commerce success. Ako Loyalty Retargeting CRM is dedicated to helping e-commerce merchants boost customer repeat purchases and conversions with customizable loyalty retargeting programs. With this partnership, we aim to boost repeat purchases and conversions. For partnerships or further information, please contact: partnerships@akohub.com

We’re excited to share that TEPO and Akohub are teaming up! This partnership is all about bringing you better technology and digital solutions. About TEPO TEPO lets your shoppers customize products by adding option fields to your product pages like: text inputs, dropdown menus, color and variant image swatches, radio buttons, date pickers, checkboxes, large textareas, and much more. You can even bundle add-on products to option selections to increase the price of your item. Need to add a gift-wrapping with $5 surcharge? How about $10 for rush processing? It's easy with Tepo Product Options. Key Features: Various ready-made templates of options to save time on building options More complex goals with Text, Upload, Image/Color swatch, Checkbox, Dropdown, Date picker, Quantity, Price Add-ons: Add extra price to extra services or personalization options like engraving, gift-wrapping Conditional logic: Display product options based on previous selections Bulk apply option set to multiple products. Import/Export options by CSV files View custom product options and variants Orders, Emails, Invoices and more. Take Action Today! Join us on this exciting journey! Discover how the TEPO and Akohub partnership can transform your business with cutting-edge solutions and exceptional digital experiences. About Akohub Akohub is the all-in-one marketing app that empowers Shopify stores with loyalty programs, marketing funnels, and retargeting features. Akohub’s mission is to help businesses thrive by enhancing customer retention, engagement, and sales, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for e-commerce success. Ako Loyalty Retargeting CRM is dedicated to helping e-commerce merchants boost customer repeat purchases and conversions with customizable loyalty retargeting programs. With this partnership, we aim to boost repeat purchases and conversions. For partnerships or further information, please contact: partnerships@akohub.com

BoostifyThemes and Akohub are excited to share their new partnership! This collaboration is set to enhance e-commerce stores with powerful tools to improve website performance, boost customer loyalty, and drive more sales. About BOOSTIFY BoostifyThemes offers high-performance, customizable Shopify themes that are designed to enhance user experience and drive sales. With their expertise in crafting fast-loading, mobile-responsive themes, BoostifyThemes helps online retailers build visually stunning stores that really convert. Key Features: ⚡ High Performance: Fast loading times for a seamless user experience. 🎨 Customizable Designs: Tailor your store's look to perfectly reflect your brand. 📱 Mobile Responsive: Ensure your store looks great on any device. 💼 Conversion-Focused: Designed to enhance user engagement and drive sales. 🔧 Dedicated support: Prompt assistance for all your Shopify theme needs. Take Action Today! Elevate your e-commerce store with the best of BoostifyThemes and Akohub. Enhance your site’s design, increase customer retention, and watch your sales grow. Don't miss out on the opportunity to enhance your online presence and boost sales effortlessly. About Akohub Akohub is the all-in-one marketing app that empowers Shopify stores with loyalty programs, marketing funnels, and retargeting features. Akohub’s mission is to help businesses thrive by enhancing customer retention, engagement, and sales, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for e-commerce success. Ako Loyalty Retargeting CRM is dedicated to helping e-commerce merchants boost customer repeat purchases and conversions with customizable loyalty retargeting programs. With this partnership, we aim to boost repeat purchases and conversions. For partnerships or further information, please contact: partnerships@akohub.com