69% of online shoppers say reviews and ratings make them feel more confident about their product choice and 7% say the same of deal badges, yet badges appear on 99% of product listing pages in a benchmark of over 200 retail and brand site
LONDON, Nov. 12, 2026
Syndigo, a leader in product experience and data management, today released The Trust Signal, new research from Taggstar, its real-time social proof messaging solution. Pairing a survey of 4,477 online shoppers in the U.S. and U.K. with a benchmark of 211 retail and brand e-commerce sites, the research finds that shoppers want evidence before they buy: ratings and reviews (69%) and detailed product descriptions (64%) far outrank deal badges (7%) and low-stock alerts (6%) as signals that build confidence to buy.i
Yet the benchmark, which spans 14 verticals, found deal, discount or urgency badges on 99% of product listing pages and 87% of product pages. At 85% of sites, an average listing page shows 10 or more badges, and the median listing page shows 25 badges across roughly 40 products. Only 39% of sites show social proof messaging, such as how many shoppers recently bought an item, on the product page.ii
“Shoppers are telling retailers what helps them choose: what other people say, what other people are buying, and the details that answer their question,” said Karim Iskandar, Managing Director International, Syndigo. “Those details only show up on the page when the product data behind them is complete and accurate, and that is where many product pages fall short. Retailers that put that information in front of shoppers at the moment they are deciding give them a reason to choose.”
The findings matter on every digital shelf, from retailer sites to AI shopping assistants. “Whether a shopper finds a product on a retailer’s site or through an AI assistant, they check the same things before they buy: what other people say and whether the details hold up,” Iskandar added.
The full report, The Trust Signal 2026: How Authentic Social Proof Converts More Shoppers, is available here. A recording of the launch webinar is available on demand here.
Taggstar shows shoppers real-time social proof and attribute-based messages, such as what other people recently bought, at the moment they decide. Those messages work best on complete, accurate product information and authentic reviews, which Syndigo supplies through its product content, PowerReviews ratings and reviews, and retailer network. Together, in Syndigo’s Conversion Framework, they help brands and retailers convert more shoppers into buyers.
The Consumer Shopping Survey 2026 was conducted online by YouGov among 4,477 online shoppers in the U.S. and U.K., fielded in July 2026.
The eCommerce Benchmark 2026 was conducted by Taggstar, by Syndigo. It covers 211 leading retail and brand e-commerce sites in the U.S. and U.K. across 14 verticals, assessed against 57 criteria including badging, social proof messaging, and ratings and reviews.
Syndigo gets great products chosen. Every choice in commerce, whether by a shopper, a search engine, a marketplace, or an AI assistant, is made on product data and our software makes that data complete and trusted and moves it across the industry’s largest two-sided commerce network: 15,000+ brands and 3,500+ retailers. Companies like AutoZone, Colgate-Palmolive, Dole International, Unilever, and Walgreens trust Syndigo to get their products chosen.
[i] The Consumer Shopping Survey 2026 – conducted online by YouGov, July 2026
[ii] The eCommerce Benchmark 2026 – by Taggstar, by Syndigo, August 2026
[iii] The Consumer Shopping Survey 2026 – conducted online by YouGov, July 2026
[iv] The Consumer Shopping Survey 2026 – conducted online by YouGov, July 2026
[v] The Consumer Shopping Survey 2026 – conducted online by YouGov, July 2026
[vi] The eCommerce Benchmark 2026 – conducted by Taggstar, by Syndigo, August 2026
[vii] The Consumer Shopping Survey 2026 – conducted online by YouGov, July 2026
