The 6 Pillars of Social Commerce [VIDEO]

In April 2012, I wrote a piece that explored online social behavior and its impact on commerce and decision-making. The work was inspired by a series of studies based on the work of Robert Cialdini that identified six universal heuristics that shoppers use to make decisions.

The importance of social psychology can not be overstated. This branch of psychology deals with how people think about influence and how individuals relate to one another. The social economy is shaped by how people earn and spend social capital. Based on the commerce of actions, words, and intentions, individuals contribute to their value not only within these new connected societies, but also among those networks of people to whom they’re connected. The same is true for organizations. You earn the relationships and the resulting stature that you deserve. Thus engagement must be thoughtful and nurturing.

I refer to the concept of social and online architecture as the A.R.T. of Engagement where actions, reactions, and transactions become the fabric of holistic and connected experiences. It must be design and it must work together to link information, destinations and native behaviors with intent with goals and outcomes.

This work was fleshed out in my latest book, What’s the Future of Business: Changing the Way Businesses Create Experiences (or WTF for short)

Skeleton Productions, a very cool video production company based in London, worked with me to lift this work from the printed page and turn it into a short but insightful online video. It’s pretty cool…(embedded below)

The Six Pillars of Social Commerce

1: Social Proof – follow the crowd

2: Authority – the guiding light

3: Scarcity- less is more

4: Like – builds bonds and trust

5: Consistency

6: Reciprocity – pay it forward

If ignorance is bliss, awareness is awakening. The psychology of social commerce reveals the emotional elements that stimulate the human network. It is the understanding of the 6 pillars of social commerce that facilitates the development of a more cohesive and connected online experience for customers. More importantly, by investing in the value, productivity and efficiency of consumer decision making and not just the outcome, businesses can not only earn reciprocity and goodwill, but also earn social capital as a result…and, that’s priceless.

The future of business is shaping desirable, meaningful and shareable experiences. And, it starts at the intersection where UX meets CX.