subject: Consumer Reviews Do Consumers Trust Them? [print this page] How much do consumer reviews influence the consumers' buying habits? The Internet has erased the limitation on proximity as products and their reviews are easily viewable to anyone surfing online. It has also affected how business owners do business.
How Much Do Buyers Believe?
A survey done in 2010 showed that an average buyer mentions brands at least 90 times in a week either consciously or unconsciously to other persons. Also, 71% of all consumers believe that the personal reviews of their family members have a great amount of influence to their buying habits.
With regard to the overall percentage of trust, 90% of all consumers trust the reviews of people they are familiar with. Another 70% still trust the reviews coming from unknown people. With these data, it is clear that consumers are more likely to buy a product if they are aware that someone they know has also bought that same product and has positive feedback about it. However, on the Internet there's a limit to which people know and trust.
Internet Review Facts
Actual customer reviews are 12 times more trusted than the ones made by the manufacturers themselves. 44% of moms make use of social networks and other forms of social media when recommending and looking for product recommendations. Moreover, 73% of moms believe the generic recommendations posted online but 61% still rely more on user reviews before they make a purchase. It is, without a doubt, true that online reviews improve one's confidence when buying a product. In this connection, business owners have better chances of succeeding in their venture if they ask or let their clients make honest reviews about their products and services.
What Business Owners Should Do
Business owners upon knowing these statistics often ask what review or referral strategy is to be employed to achieve the best results. Well, they should exhaust all means and techniques of doing referrals and reviews. Online reviews, although optional, have shown to be a major deciding factor in improving one's business. They give business owners the competitive advantage since they are able to hear all forms of criticisms from their customers may they be good or bad. Receiving bad reviews does not prevent you from doing well in your business. Remember, it is with the help of these negative reviews that you can improve for the better. You should also put in mind that this is actually better rather than have your buyers spread the bad word to everyone else on how unhappy they feel about your products. Furthermore, using online social media to publish customer reviews can help make instant leads.
