Best practices for social login

As noted in our last post on 2013 trends, using social login can help merchants individualize the shopping experience for brand followers. And research shows that consumers appreciate the option: according to marketing firm Monetate, 40% of shoppers prefer using social login to creating an account on the eCommerce site.

But despite the potential upside, few of the largest U.S. merchants have taken the opportunity to implement social login — just 30 of the merchants in Internet Retailer’s Top 500 have done so, according to marketing firm Sociable Labs. The threat of brand dilution posed by displaying other sites’ logos on the eCommerce site, and the fact that merchants don’t own the data shared by social login users, are perhaps among the reasons driving this reluctance. As a recent analysis by email service provider MailChimp demonstrated, the key is to avoid assuming social logins can solve all a site’s conversion and engagement challenges. Merchants need to assess the potential upside of social logins for their own unique brands and act accordingly.

Despite the caveats, we believe social logins have the potential to drive significant brand engagement, and worth pursuing. But doing so is more than a matter of simply putting a button on the first page of checkout. To maximize the effectiveness of social login, merchants should consider the following strategies:

Know which logins matter to your audience. By far the most popular social login is Facebook’s, according to the Monetate study; fully 60% of shoppers use it, while other social networks’ logins each have less than 15% share. Given that 66% of U.S. online adults use Facebook, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, most merchants considering social login should plan to implement Facebook Login. But depending on their audience, merchants should also consider adding logins from other social networks, from Twitter to LinkedIn. Careful study of analytics and an assessment of which social networks have the largest audience of brand followers can help merchants assess which logins to use. The key is to offer the right mix for the audience without presenting an overwhelming array of options for shoppers.

Integrate fully. Too many merchants who use social login go on to ask shoppers to set up a separate account password for the eCommerce site — but the aim of using social login should be to smooth the path to purchase, not erect more barriers. Of course merchants should strive to establish their own direct relationship with shoppers; but they should implement a phased approach that encourages existing social login users to deepen their relationship, rather than forcing the issue up front. 1-800-Flowers gives Facebook Login users full access to the eCommerce site’s account tools, such as reminder services and address book creation, without creating an additional password.

Develop true social shopping opportunities. As a corollary to the above, merchants should make it worthwhile for shoppers to connect via social login by doing more than pre-populating a few checkout fields. Easily-shareable wish lists are a good starting point, but merchants should also develop shopping experiences that draw on shoppers’ social profiles to bring their network of friends and their personal preferences into play. Apparel merchant Charlotte Russe enables social login users to view a real-time stream of what items are being liked and commented on. Shoppers can filter the stream to view only their friends’ picks, and control whether their own selections are shared or not.

Merchants should also consider reminder services that incorporate social login users’ friend feeds. Amazon.com not only lets shoppers know which Facebook friends have birthdays coming up soon, but also makes gift recommendations based on friends’ prior purchases and history of product “likes” on Facebook.

Give users privacy controls — and message prominently. With Facebook and other social networks often grabbing headlines for privacy gaffes, it’s crucial for merchants to clearly outline how social login functionality will work, what user data will be culled from their social profiles, and what information will be shared with users’ friends by the merchant — and social login users should be able to exercise privacy control at multiple points along the engagement path. When designing their social login experiences, merchants should pay special attention to:

• Signup messaging. Shoppers offered the option of a social login should understand the benefits and what information will be shared before beginning the process. Then, once they’ve opted to use the social login, they should be able to exercise control over how their information will be shared. On the first page of checkout, Wine.com gives shoppers an extensive explanation in a pop-up window of how Facebook Login works. Those who opt to use the social login are then notified of which data the tool will use and given the option to control how information is shared on the social network.

• Sharing “likes.” When social login users add products to their list of favorites or “like” the items, they should be alerted to how that information will be shared — and given the option to edit the settings. Department store Barney’s launches a pop-up window when a shopper first uses the “Favorites” tool and lets shoppers select whether or not to share their picks.

• Global control. From any page of the site, shoppers should be able to access their account and turn social sharing on or off; they should also be able to log out completely. Accessory retailer Claire’s offers a drop-down menu in the global navigation that enables shoppers to switch sharing on or off without leaving the browsing experience; users can also opt to log out completely. A fly-out help menu clearly delineates how sharing works and offers the further option of disconnecting from Facebook altogether.

Are you using or considering social logins for your site? Why or why not?

3 Tactics for Boosting Facebook Page “Likes”

With the total number of users surpassing 800 million, Facebook is now an essential component of merchants’ sales and marketing arsenal. More and more brands are setting up outposts on Facebook pages; by one estimate, fully 80% of Internet Retailer’s Top 500 merchants use the site to reach customers and potential shoppers.

Of course, just having a Facebook page is only the first step. To truly integrate with shoppers’ Facebook browsing habits, merchants must convince shoppers not only to visit their pages, but to “Like” them – thereby enabling merchant updates to flow onto the shopper’s Facebook home page.

With so many individuals, brands and organizations hopping on the Facebook bandwagon, it’s crucial to offer a compelling “Like” proposition so your brand stands out above the fray. Consider these three tactics for attracting more “Likes” for your Facebook page:

1)    Offer exclusive savings, immediately. While plenty of Facebook promotions promise shoppers that if they “like” a page, they’ll receive the latest news and up-to-the-minute notices of sales that are also promoted elsewhere, fewer brands promise exclusive savings solely for Facebook fans – and fewer still reward a “like” on the spot with a targeted offer. Beauty outlet Sephora messages its Facebook exclusives with a landing page touting “Fan Fridays,” when followers receive an exclusive discount code. After clicking “like,” the latest discount code is revealed on the same page.

2)    Put a spotlight on fans with community. Give potential brand followers incentive to “like” the page by putting them front and center. In addition to broadcasted messages about new products and upcoming events, use status updates to ask followers questions and institute polls to encourage feedback. Mega-merchant Zappos.com instantly communicates the central role brand followers play on the page with its “Fan of the Week” promotion, whereby each week a photo of a follower with a Zappos box is featured as the brand’s main profile picture. Visitors to the landing page see the profile picture featuring the latest spotlighted fan, as well as an invitation to engage in a “like-like relationship” – verbiage that puts followers on an equal footing with the brand.

Followers that view the Zappos Wall see a bevy of posts inviting participation. A challenge to pair shoes with a dress is followed a few hours later by the name of the winning entrant, who received both products for free as the prize; while a third post invites followers to fill in the blank – a post that drew 226 responses.

3)    Promote the page to brand followers in other channels. When it comes to building a Facebook following, you don’t have to start from scratch. Chances are your brand had a cohort of engaged shoppers before Facebook even existed – in the form of email subscribers, repeat customers and longtime catalog browsers. Reach out to them now if you haven’t already with an invitation to join the community on Facebook, too.

eBags sent a Facebook invitation to email subscribers promising an instant discount for “liking” the page. The urgent timeline of a one-day opportunity for savings prompts shoppers to act immediately on the message. Clicking the email delivers shoppers to a coupon, also good for just one day, for 25% off and free shipping – a powerful incentive to purchase.

What tactics have you found successful to drive Facebook page “likes”?