Authority
People defer to credible experts and institutions.
Four of the eight page areas.
It also applies sitewide, on every page. See everything at work on Product pages
Five ways to use it, and one to avoid.
- Show recognised third-party assurance seals, certifications and standards marks.
- Feature expert endorsements and awards.
- Show “as featured in” press logos.
- Include trade or professional-use claims.
- Place them where doubt is highest: the product page, basket and payment step.
- Avoid: trust marks shown without authorisation, or untrue claims of approval by a body, which are banned practices under the DMCC Act 2024.
An assurance seal raised conversion in one field experiment. Other ecommerce evidence is thin.
A third-party assurance seal raised conversion in a randomised field experiment over 9,098 shopping sessions.
Obedience to authority is robust in the lab and was reproduced in a 2017 Polish replication, but that is compliance with orders, not shopping. Online, one randomised field experiment over 9,098 shopping sessions found a third-party assurance seal raised conversion. Other ecommerce evidence is thin.
Five sources, each checked.
Last reviewed
Displaying a trust mark without authorisation, or claiming approval or endorsement by a body when that is untrue, are banned practices under the DMCC Act 2024 (Schedule 20). Endorsements and accreditations must be genuine and current.
This is simply a pointer to check, not legal advice. Seek legal advice before you put this principle into action.