Should Online Reviews Be Trusted?

The answer to the titular question is, “Yes.” The Internet, nowadays, has transformed the way sellers and buyers meet and interact within the marketplace. And especially with the advent of e-commerce, it has become way simpler for customers to browse, to do comparison shopping, and to buy; everything, now, can be done with just a couple of clicks or a few swipes.

However, with the advent of e-commerce, the competition among businesses has become even more intense. With the Internet at your disposal, you can make a better-informed purchase anytime anywhere. Presently, you can find a number of websites that provide crowdsourced online reviews for buying better.

These reviews have the capability to shape buying decisions easily and quickly; for this reason alone, it has become way harder for a careless or unscrupulous business to make the most of the available opportunities. Now, let’s list two of the main points that denote the importance of online reviews.

They drive or demolish businesses.

If research works are to be believed, nearly 69 percent of consumers search the Internet before taking any sort of buying decisions. (The trust on online reviews is even greater when the consumer wishes to leverage the services from a hotel or a restaurant.)

Nowadays, consumers aren’t taking the advice of their neighbors or friends or family, like the way we all did in the past. However, consumers have become more intelligent and know where they could find some of the most authentic reviews about products or services. Which is why, it’s aptly said that an online review can either drive or destroy a business.

How does an online review influence the customer?

Close to 28 percent of American consumers have already penned online reviews, and more than 84 percent of these consumers go through these reviews before buying. (In short, the feedback has always streamlined the buying process for many consumers.)

And the reviews that come from other consumers are often trusted when they’re compared with those that are given by celebrities and other key personalities (who’re basically endorsing the product). Because of their authenticity, these online reviews have influenced the buying decision of many consumers to a tee.

These two reasons have helped many prudent business owners to take reviews management seriously. Many business people also take the assistance of leading digital marketers to use SEO and SMO strategies for generating positive online reviews. If leveraged properly, these online reviews prove to be one of the finest marketing assets for companies.