Group motivation, also known as social proof, is initially a psychological phenomenon. Individuals adopt the behavior of the majority of a group – resulting from the assumption that this represents the socially appropriate behavior. The behavior of authorities, experts, celebrities or influencers can also have an impact and is therefore also considered as group motivation/social proof.
The principle of group motivation is also applied in online marketing and e-commerce. This includes like and share rates on social media as well as product reviews, but also the number of users who are currently viewing a product or have already bought it. A well-known example of the usage of group motivation can be found on the websites of travel providers. On hotel detail pages, users are often shown how many other users are also interested in this particular trip via a layer. Phrases like “X others are interested in this trip” or “X users have recently booked this hotel” are used. This motivates users to complete a purchase more quickly.
Group Motivation is also being increasingly used in areas other than the travel industry, as other e-commerce sectors are also benefiting from social proof. When used wisely, it can contribute to a positive purchasing decision and increase the conversion rate.
Whether the Group Motivation performs well on your own website can be evaluated using A/B- or multivariate tests.