Introduction
Today, there are close to three billion active users on Facebook. Gmail has over 1.8 billion active users. Close to half a billion people use Instagram every day.
Given the rising popularity of social media, many apps and websites now offer the option to sign in using social credentials instead of a traditional registration.
Social login is faster and more convenient and eliminates problems like login friction and password fatigue. This article explores ten things you need to know about allowing users to log in with their social media profiles.
What is Social Media Login?
Social media login, also known as social sign-on or sign-in, is a type of account authentication that allows users to enter an app or site without creating an account. Instead, social login uses information from social media networks to facilitate logins. It means trusting third-party apps – usually social platforms, to act as an identity provider.
The idea behind this Single Sign-On (SSO) variation is to remove the need to remember countless usernames and passwords when only one can suffice. This convenient alternative to mandatory account creation results in users' simplified sign-in and registration experience.
- For users, social login is an effortless method of accessing sites and apps as there is no need to fill out a registration form or remember different passwords.
- For businesses, social login streamlines the user verification process while also allowing marketers to gather more accurate customer data.
Below we highlight some advantages and disadvantages to consider about allowing users to log in with their social media profiles.
1. Easy and Quick Sign-In
As mentioned previously, the main benefit of social login is that it makes logging onto a website convenient, easy, and quick. Creating new accounts and filling out registration forms may be frustrating and time-consuming when users visit a different website.
The details of social media accounts are easier to remember since most are used daily, and surveys show that users are also happy to use them to sign into a website.
2. Quality User Data
An alarming number of users input incorrect or false information while filling out a registration form manually. When businesses use traditional registration processes, they rely solely on the data obtained from their records.
They frequently run into false names or email addresses that are no longer in use.
In addition, asking users to fill out a lengthy registration form with more than five data points may result in frustration or, in many cases, abandonment of the sign-up process altogether.
On the other hand, when users sign up via a social account, businesses typically access a larger amount of data points. They have an additional layer of verification of the user's information.
3. Eliminates Mistargeted Marketing
People get annoyed when websites show content not relevant to their interests.
Social login allows companies to access more accurate customer data, which they can utilize to curate personalized content.
When users sign up via social login, information like gender, age, interests, relationship status, and more are readily available. Personalized content creates a better user experience and makes your marketing campaigns more effective.
4. Irradicates Password Fatigue
Password fatigue makes it hard for people to remember the passwords that they created earlier. Most users would exit a website instead of trying to reset their account if they have trouble logging in or don't recall their login details.
Integrating social sign-in into your website avoids the need to remember passwords; therefore, the possibility of login failure or password resets becomes dramatically lower.
5. Increases Mobile Sign Ups
Over 90% of the global population uses some type of mobile device to browse the internet. Undoubtedly, mobile internet is here to stay with us for the long haul.
Therefore, you can't overlook the importance of having an optimized website, particularly a mobile-friendly login system. Using a social login means you are meeting mobile users' demands, thus expanding your market reach and realizing more mobile conversions.
6. Reduces Cart Abandonment
Forcing users to register and create accounts to add items to a virtual shopping cart will only make you lose sales. This additional step interrupts the purchase cycle and represents a huge barrier to a successful conversion.
A social login option reduces cart abandonment and creates a user-friendly and hassle-free checkout experience.
7. Increases Revenue
Lower cart abandonment results in higher conversion rates meaning more revenue for the company. Aside from cart abandonment, integrating social login also decreases the frequency of users needing to contact customer service, account resets for failed logins, or troubleshoot security issues.
Altogether, social login automation doesn't only mean a smoother experience on the customer side, but also, your staff will spend less time helping customers and more time on higher-value tasks.
8. Not A Foolproof Solution
In the end, despite the convenience of social media login - it is not a foolproof solution as it leaves room for security vulnerabilities. Username and password security are often breached and compromised by weak and reused passwords.
Moreover, if any social media website experiences data leaks or data thefts, users who have repeatedly used the same credentials are jeopardized on every app or site login linked to that account.
9. Complex Customer Journey
Despite having a simplified username and password, the rest of the customer journey can still be complicated. For example, the customer must input other data, like payment and billing information, during checkout.
10. Multiple Sign Ups
Adding social login options can sometimes lead to confusion. Instead of remembering login information, users now have to remember which social site they used to log into another website.
This can lead to the creation of multiple accounts by the same person and potentially create more frustration.
In Conclusion
In summary, social logins are the next wave of innovation in customer identity management, and businesses simply can't afford to ignore them. By allowing customers to use their social media profiles to identify themselves, businesses can bring a new level of convenience to the sign-up process, as well as gain access to vital customer data.
