Ease of Use and privacy are two factors that often determine the fate of ecommerce websites. Providing consumers with an easy-to-use login system that is trustworthy and secure is essential. One way business owners can accomplish this is by implementing social logins on their site. Letting website users login with their social media credentials (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) has grown in popularity. This article will focus on a recent study from Gigya that found social login use has skyrocketed over the past two years and what this means for marketers.
Back in 2012, when Gigya asked people if they used social logins, 53 percent of the survey respondents said they did. This was already a good showing for social logins but the most recent numbers blow that away. According to data the company released last week, 77 percent of respondents say they use social logins. That’s a 45 percent increase in just two years. This fits in with other research on social commerce that we reported on earlier this year.
It’s not just that more people are using social logins. That much is to be expected since as the number of sites using social logins increases, so would the number of people exposed to the option to use them. However, the survey also shows that more consumers now prefer to use social logins. Approximately 60 percent of those surveyed said they used social login “often” or “always” when given the option, compared to 35 percent of U.S. survey respondents in 2012. To put it another way, ecommerce sites that don’t implement social logins are essentially telling the 12 percent of consumers who “always” use social logins that they aren’t welcome in their store.
“Consumers today expect personalization at every brand interaction, yet demand that businesses safeguard their data and give them full rights to their user privacy,” wrote Emma Tzeng in a blog announcing the report. “Figuring out how to navigate this sentiment by successfully carrying out a strategy that respects user privacy while delivering relevant, data-driven user experiences can seem daunting, but it isn’t impossible.”
To understand the appeal of social logins, think of the issue through the eyes of the consumer. Setting up an account for a website can be bothersome because it takes a few minutes with several forms, confirmation emails and so on. The average consumer also has dozens of logins and passwords already and would like to avoid adding more to the list if possible. Finally, there are a lot of stories about data breaches at various websites and stores, so people are wary about sites that are improperly secured. If Home Depot and Jimmy Johns can’t get it right, why should they trust a small website they don’t know much about.
A social login can give the consumer some peace of mind because it has the security of a social media giant backing some of the more sensitive information. So for a consumer, if the options are between using an ecommerce site that requires it’s own login and account information or one that uses social logins, it’s easy to see why consumers go for sites with social logins.
This explanation is supported by data in the study. According to the report, consumers cite dissatisfaction with spending time filling out overly lengthy registration forms and remembering more usernames and passwords as the top two reasons for choosing to login socially.
Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for sites with social logins. For example, ecommerce sites would be wise to allow users to shop as a guest or allow them to create an account that doesn’t use social logins. The study also noted that “for US consumers who claim to “never” use social login, the number one reason is due to the fear that the website or mobile app is looking to sell their data.” Such concerns are overblown because doing this would violate social networks’ terms of service that sites agree to when using social logins.
This new report from Gigya strongly suggests that ecommerce sites need to use social logins to gain the attention of more customers. As was stated in the outset, ease of use and privacy concerns drive a lot ecommerce decisions and social logins is an easy way to address both concerns.
For more information on how social logins and other tactics can help your business, read this article with five things you can do to revitalize an ecommerce website.