Hidden tricks of persuasion: study shows how easily we are manipulated
We're actively using 3 principles of influence from Cialdini in our SaaS-product[1] (we also refer to it as 'CaaS', Conversion as a Service).Basically we make persuasion available for the small- to mid-size online shops by providing a tool that integrates tightly with your (shop)backend. Based on data-analysis from your visitors (we ask for a small JS-snippet on each of your pages) we try to predict, by using machine learning, which visitor is sensitive to what kind of messaging at what particular time.Examples:Scarcity: "3 products left in stock", "order within 2 hours and 13 minutes and we'll ship your order today"Social proof: "23 people bought this product today", "the last order of this product was 3 minutes ago"Authority: "Recommended by institute x"We're seeing uplifts in conversions rates from 5% to sometimes 200% (on average 10-15%). Key is timing and finding out what works best for a certain type of visitor. So, for example, shopping at your lunch break often results in a certain behaviour on a shop (ie. going directly or through the shortest route to your desired product) which implicates a sensitivity for a scarcity message. On the other hand, shopping in the evening (more time on your hands) tells us (but not always) that you're maybe more inclined to make a good comparison between products. A social proof message helps the most in that case. It's a simplified version of the reality but you get the idea :-)The tool is easily integrated in shop software (Magento et al) and usable for the less tech savvy users. The messaging is delivered through non-intrusive pop-ups (maybe you've seen them) and are fully configurable on for example: referer, time of day, position, layout, animation, type of visitor, country, etc etc. We also have an integration with Google Analytics to track performance.You can try us for 30 days free, shoot me an email at bart[at]conversify.com, mention HN, and I'll give you 15 extra days for free.[1] https://www.conversify.com