Online reviews are huge and most people these days trust them more than personal recommendations. You will find the reasons why in this article, so read until the end
Introduction
You are probably aware that online reviews are huge and more than 80% of people check online reviews before proceeding to buy something. What others say about certain products or services matter a lot to potential customers.
That is why business owners have learned to manage reviews – to be able to respond to negative reviews and address them. They also want to thank those who took time to leave them a review whether it is positive or negative.
If you are about to start a business, here are the reasons why you need reviews:
Transparency
The first reason why customers rely on online reviews is that they provide transparency. Customers may read more Google reviews vs. Facebook reviews but in general they want to know that they are not being fooled into buying a product because their decision is only based on what the store says.
People want to know everything about the product before shopping. When there was no internet, there were only personal recommendations. That is why shopping in a new business that people you know are unfamiliar with had its risks.
They Want to Buy the Perfect Product for Them
Consumers have more tendency to consult online reviews if they are buying a product from a brand they are unfamiliar with. Reviews are also important if the customer thinks that what they are buying is expensive. Like they look for reviews about electronics or appliances.
At the same time, consumers are very interested in reviews about fitness and personal health products or services. Even if people want to try something new, they have a level of skepticism.
Influence of Others
Potential customers rely on the influence and opinions of other people even if they are strangers. People are going to try a new restaurant because they have read wonderful things the place, but they will not go there if they read that everyone else are unhappy with the service or food.
A complete stranger’s review is more trustworthy to others because their peers might give a biased opinion about it in an attempt to influence them.
Allow Customers to Fall in Love with Your Brand
The personal preferences like gender, age, level of involvement, race, etc. all affect buying decisions. The role of involvement heavily impacts buying decisions. Customers usually form an emotional attitude towards products and they express it through reviews.
It is not rare to have a feeling of being in love with a product with some goods regardless if it is practical or not. When you lack customer reviews, it tells other people that you are not selling enough or your confidence level in your product or service is not that high. Therefore, you should try to get consumers to always leave a review.
When you have a review management software, you can easily monitor the reviews that customers leave about your business.