Why Bother With Online Customer Reviews?

Did you know that reviews influence 90% of potential customers better than a sales pitch?

By: Sylvia Slezak | Jun 2023

Photo by csp_duiwoy55

Online customer reviews for provided products and services help showcase your company’s reputation, increase sales, and improve search engine rankings for your website. Research shows that consumers are greatly influenced by the reviews they read about products and services. Reviews can be found on Google, Yelp, BBB, business websites, and various directory sites. [Statistical sources: entrepreneur.com, forbes.com, inc.com, marketingprofs.com, and searchengineland.com.]

CUSTOMER REVIEWS

Customer reviews can be a fabulous way to gain more business. No matter what the goals for your business are, there is much to learn, and benefit from, when it comes to what your customers have to say, and share about your business.
Whatever your business or offering, selling your product or service is easier when you understand what your customers need and want.

Consider the following questions:

What problems could they have experienced that brought them to your business?
What do they need at this moment in time?
What solutions are they looking for?

Online reviews offer a goldmine of information and insight into customer needs. Based on what customers are posting online, you’ll be able to better understand how to deliver what they want, while creating and offering them an incredible experience.

What consumers had to say about reviews and its influence on their decision-making

90% read online reviews before visiting a business.
88% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Likely to spend 31% more on a business with “excellent” reviews.
72% will take action only after reading a positive review.
An estimate of 4-6 online reviews are read before trusting a business.
92% will use a local business if it has at least a 4-star rating.
Most important traits for a local business were reliability (27%), expertise (21%), and professionalism (18%).
86% will hesitate to purchase from a business with negative online reviews.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

What are product reviews and why are they so special? A product review is the opinion or feedback received from a customer on a specific product or item they purchased from your brand. After purchasing and using the product or item, they have the option to leave a written review about their experience with the product or item.

Product reviews are special in that they provide proof to potential consumers that there is a history of doing business with you and that you can be trusted. In addition, positive product reviews tend to instill confidence in the offered product to deliver on its promises. That is why every eCommerce business should be collecting product reviews.

Benefits of product reviews

Increase brand trust that current and potential customers have.
Offer an opportunity to resolve a customer’s problem.
Help consumers understand whether or not a product’s quality and specifications will meet their needs or expectations.
Give consumers a clearer picture of what to expect when their product arrives.
Help to reduce the rate of returns.
Positive feedback on the use of the product tends to encourage potential customers to purchase the same item.
Provide insight to improve business performance and practices.

GENERATING POSITIVE REVIEWS

While you are attempting to garner positive feedback from your client or customer, you don’t want to sound desperate. Acting too formal or showering flattery can be jarring when you’re asking for something. It would be ideal if you’re reaching out to them about good news or day-to-day business and then included your request for their feedback. Then it won’t feel pushy or desperate. Take the time to learn and understand how review and rating sites function.

Make it brief.
Keep it friendly.
Be humble.
Be consistent.
Ask loyal customers to share their experiences.

DEALING WITH NEGATIVE REVIEWS

You should be checking your online reviews daily. It doesn’t take much time to scan through your reviews on various sites in the morning and the evening. If it’s a Google review, you will receive notification whenever a rating and/or comment has been posted. The same is true with a BBB comment. Negative comments can reduce the generation of emotional trust and hinder a consumer’s buying intentions.

Realize that it takes effort for a customer to leave feedback about their experience dealing with your product or services. While they may be upset or elated with what you offered, they are showing that they care enough about you to provide a comment or a rating. Do not ignore a customer’s feedback, especially a negative comment.

When you receive a negative review, you should

Respond promptly.
Write like a person with empathy and understanding, not as an entity.
Be real and admit your mistakes.
Highlight your strengths.
Correct inaccuracies.
Provide restitution if it’s warranted.
Take it offline in an email or a phone call.

NOT A FIZZLING FAD

If you haven’t already started, or haven’t been keeping up with your online customer reviews, the time is now to do so. The longer you wait to start encouraging them, the more you stand to lose. Online customer reviews aren’t a fad, they are here to stay. Such reviews have proven to be a great avenue for grabbing the attention of consumers and increasing sales. As they increase in importance and more competitors are encouraging customer reviews, your involvement is only going to become even more necessary.

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