Why Consumers Are Using Online Reviews

If your company has yet to see the value in online reviews, let this statistic change your mind—the 2012 Local Consumer Review Survey found that 72% of consumers trust online reviews. This means that 72% of people are swayed by the reviews they find on your business, products or services.
Many companies are realizing how much emphasis that consumers are putting on consumer reviews, which is why sites like Trip Advisor and Google+ Local are becoming more and more popular. So why are so many consumers using online reviews?

They can research before they buy.

Today’s consumers are not impulse buyers. They’re researchers, and they will spend a solid amount of time researching different products and services as well as businesses to ensure that they’re making the best purchasing decision. Online review sites are a great reference for consumers when it comes time to researching their future purchase.

They can gain real feedback.

Every company is going to ensure that their products and services look fabulous on their website. No company is ever going to put a picture of their product with a caption that says, “This is garbage. Don’t waste your money.” But reviewers will, and this information can help consumers learn what they should and should not buy. If they are researching a product or service, they’re going to read the reviews left by consumers, and if these reviews are positive, it will influence them to make a purchase. If they’re negative, though, they’ll move on to a new product or service.

They can learn where to shop.

Online reviews can also give consumers insight into where to shop for a product or service. They can use the online reviews to learn about how much consumers paid and where they purchased the product from. They can also learn about the consumers experience in buying the product or service from a certain location. A review may rave about a product, but talk poorly on a company’s customer service. This information will tell consumers to buy the product, just not from that store.
Consumers can also use review sites to learn about which stores have the product or service for the best price. This can help them snag the best possible deal when it comes time to making a purchase.

They can comparison shop.

Online reviews allow consumers to comparison shop companies, products or services. They can use review sites to see how companies rate against each other, and this can determine what company they choose. They can also use review sites to compare products and services side by side. Those products or services that have more positive reviews will end up victorious.
Online review sites are extremely important to your business. Most consumers trust the reviews that they read, and this greatly influences their purchasing decisions. If you really want to win over your customers, you need to make sure that your online reviews are positive.