 Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
As a result of this industry shift, online reviews have become a primary marketing tool. Between January and November 2015, Trustpilot (my employer) measured a 25-percent increase in customer content posted to its online review community — 5.8 million reviews in total. In 2016, if this trend continues as expected, more than eight million reviews will be published, and millions of new brand impressions will be made. With these numbers in mind, below are three ways your brand can harness the voice of its customers and start interactive conversations with its audience:...
Each time consumers glance at an online review and then click the item in question into their shopping carts, we see the transformative powers of e-commerce reviews—namely, how first-person insights and recommendations dramatically influence purchasing decisions.
At the same time, we also observe another lasting effect of e-commerce reviews—the profound impact they've had on how today's consumers actually shop.
At Influence Central, we conducted a research study of 500+ women consumers that looked at how online product reviews influence shopping habits, whether consumers trust online reviews, and how recommendations affect purchasing decisions....
The in-app feedback provider recently asked 350 smartphone owners in the US about the “minimum star rating they’d accept in order for them to consider downloading an app.” Roughly 60 percent of respondents said that they “usually or always check ratings before downloading an app.”
According to the survey, only 15 percent would consider apps with a two-star average rating. One more star, and half the respondents would potentially download the app. An impressive 96 percent said they would install four-star apps. This makes logical sense and parallels the way consumers react to product and service ratings in other categories....
For well over a decade, consumers have increasingly turned to online review sites to vet purchase decisions before they buy. Take a look at the top trafficked sites on the web, and it’s no shock to see consumer review sites by the likes of Amazon and Yelp both squarely in the top ten.
In fact, reading reviews prior to purchasing has become so ingrained in American consumption habits, 55 percent of all shoppers say online reviews influence where and how they spend their hard-earned cash.
Why then, when every person on the street checks a review site before buying a coffee, is it such a surprise to the software industry that consumer reviews actually matter in their space? In an industry generally considered “innovative,” product reviews are a shockingly late-adoption....
We all know that in the past decade digital has been the big story in the marketing world, with traditional techniques either being side-lined or used alongside new technologies, such as social media.
To an extent, some of the more traditional marketing practices have transferred onto online platforms – for example, email newsletters instead of paper ones, and advertising on websites instead of magazines.
One area which seems to work better online than offline is reviewing. Whilst previously reviews could be seen in dedicated magazines or marketing literature, thanks to sites such as Trip Advisor and Amazon, reviews can now be written and published instantly for the world to see....
Greg Daniel AM, national practice leader of KPMG SR7, discusses how social media has changed the way people respond to advertising and PR.
In 1997, direct marketing guru Lester Wunderman talked about a new definition of brand: “It represents a cluster of consumer needs. It is each customer who is becoming a brand. I am a brand – and each of you is a brand.”
At that time, he said there were 260 million individual people brands in the US alone. More than 15 years later, the rise of social media has seen Wunderman’s prediction become a reality – in ways no-one expected.
This new reality represents the biggest single opportunity the PR industry has ever had – at the expense of advertising.
According to Nielsen, only 16% of people are influenced by advertising they see on the Internet while 84% are influenced by what people tell them on social media. While the growth in online advertising is dramatic – it is still advertising!...
What matters most about WoM is the social system, the people involved and their desire to interact about something. Clearly endogenous or self-generating WoM is much more powerful than superficial marketing generated WoM that organisations initiate. This reflects the deep seated human characteristic of talking to each other about a topic which nourishes the interactions with other people.
People are highly motivated to share their passions and obsessions with others. We are drawn to identify with a cause. People will chat whatever you do, and sometimes it will be about you, but more often it won’t be. The real reason for WoM is the social interactions around the topic. The subject of discussion provides the oxygen to sustain interactions rather than the purpose of our conversations....
Did you know that more than 4 out of 5 consumers value word of mouth recommendations over all other sources? Amazing isn’t it? The power of a trusted opinion!Local influencers are people Small Businesses should target.
This recent blog talks about the importance of connecting with local influencers to increase your word of mouth. There are 2 data points are worth considering: - Consumer-to-consumer word of mouth generates more than double the sales of paid advertising (Source: McKinsey) - 84% of consumers say they trust word of mouth recommendations from friends and family above all other sources of advertising. (Source: Nielsen)...
The funny thing about referrals is that because it’s such a no brainer, a lot of businesses don’t have a formal program setup to ensure e that they’re maximizing this channel, by automatically or programmatically asking all their customers. That’s both a shame and an opportunity lost, because for every one customer who may be naturally inclined to refer or recommend a businesses to their friends“without” being asked, there are almost certainly a number that will be too busy, or not inclined to refer anything without being asked to do so.
That’s reflected in the research as well. Some research done by Texas Tech showed that while 83% of consumers indicate they’d be willing to refer a business they frequent, only 29% actually do. That’s because surprisingly most businesses simply don’t ask.A quick and easy customer referral program is not only a great marketing strategy on it’s own, because of that gap in consumer willingness and businesses asking, there is also a really good chance that setting up a customer referral program is great low hanging marketing fruit you can take advantage of....
Becoming a truly buzzworthy company isn’t easy. But if you can pull it off, you’ll create a competitive advantage that will carry you through good times and bad. The key ingredients: 1. Sell amazing stuff
2. Bake it into your company
3. Create a movement.
|
User reviews are a proven sales driver, a survey has revealed, so what are people really searching for and what decisions does this lead to?
Well, this infographic from PeopleClaim explains exactly how user reviews affect consumers’ decision-making when buying a product.
This infographic shows: - If an issue is handled quickly, 95% of customers will return - 70% consult reviews before purchase - Reviews drive higher loyalty and purchase satisfaction....
I recently read an interesting study posted by Myles Anderson on Search Engine Land that said 88% of consumers who read online product reviews trust the reviews as much as personal recommendations. The important caveat to this statistic, as noted by Myles, is that there must be multiple reviews on a product for this to apply, and those reviews must appear authentic.
Amazon’s recent lawsuit against fake reviewers throws this phenomenon into sharp relief. The company is targeting over 1,000 fake reviewers who have posted fraudulent reviews in exchange for financial compensation. Despite Amazon’s use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to combat fake reviews, there is still a growing market for writers willing to post fake positive (or negative) reviews on the site. Amazon has struggled with this challenge for years now, and deserves credit for working to build the trust of customers and prospective buyers.
This kind of trust issue can have serious financial implications for big brands. Canadian wireless network operator Bell was recently issued a fine of $1.25 million when it came to light that Bell staffers were writing and posting fake reviews on app download sites.
All these stories get me thinking. In the world of online product reviews, trust is key. Whose opinions do buyers actually trust? More importantly, whose opinions should they trust?...
Today, with a simple click, it becomes easier than ever to make comparisons, get more insights and choose between similar brand offerings based on online reviews.
To get a better understanding of how these e-commerce product reviews will influence shopping habits and how recommendations from others sway their purchasing decisions, Influence Central embarked on a research study of more than 500 women.
What we discovered proved that e-commerce reviews have upended the traditional consumer purchasing path. Here are 7 ways online reviews have changed the way we shop....
Few would dispute the impact of positive brand reviews and ratings as a word of mouth marketing tool. What may surprise you is just how important those ratings are to consumers and how much time must pass before a bad review or rating no longer matters.
New data from BrightLocal puts the spotlight on the importance of positive brand reviews and ratings as it pertains to sales. In fact, only 8% of survey respondents in 2015 said they don’t consider reviews and ratings when making buying decisions, down from 12% in 2014 and 29% in 2010. It’s downright dangerous for any marketer to disregard bad reviews, customer complaints left on social networks and poor ratings and the negative impact they might have on future sales.
Do Brand Reviews and Ratings Really Matter to Word of Mouth Marketing?
Yes, brand reviews and those 5 star ratings really matter. In the survey, 44% of consumers said a brand had to have a 4 star rating or better (out of 5 stars possible). And 94% of consumers said they would buy from a business with a four star or better rating. Conversely, only 13% said they would even consider a business that had a 1 or 2-star rating....
When it comes to American consumerism, a 2015 study by Mintel says: Americans not only use the internet to stay connected to work, family and friends, but 69 percent seek out advice and opinions on goods and services before purchasing. Of those who seek out advice, shoppers are equally likely to visit user review sites or independent review sites before making a purchase (70 percent), while 57 percent use social media networks for recommendations.
Yet even though so many of us put stock in what our digital friends tell us, it isn’t always so cut and dry....
With no further ado, check out this jam-packed infographic from TheShelf.com. It’s full of brilliant stats that will help you seize the importance of influencer marketing. Once you’ve read everything, start to identify influencers in your industry and get started!...
Online reviews aren’t just for consumer products and restaurants anymore. These days, reviews are impacting revenue for all kinds of businesses and professional services including real estate agents, loan officers, salons, boutiques, auto repair shops, doctors and everything in between.
So what’s the big deal? We’ve uncovered the data, and the data tells us one thing—the power of online reviews shouldn’t be underestimated. You need to know what people are saying about your business online because reviews can hurt or help your bottom line....
Why do you read the updates you read?
Why do you browse the products you browse?
There are hidden motivations behind a lot of the actions we take online, especially so with social media. The influence of friends and family has a big impact on what we click, view, share, and like.
Researchers have discovered some specifics behind why friends impact us the way they do. These insights cover the way we interact and reciprocate, the time we spend online, and the buying decisions we make. It’sfascinating to learn, and helpful for marketers to know, too....
It appears that people are not only turning to online reviews for local businesses more and more, but they are actually trusting them more than ever… ...88% of those surveyed said they have read reviews to determine the quality of a local business (up from 85% in 2013). 39% read reviews on a regular basis. Only 12% don’t read reviews, down from 15% last year.
One of the more interesting takeaways from the findings are that consumers appear to be doing their homework on businesses, and reading a significant number of reviews before deciding whether or not to trust them.
67% say they read up to 6 reviews. 85% say they read up to 10. 7% say they read over 20. That last percentage may be small, but it’s up from 2% last year.
“The significance of these stats is that it sets a benchmark for the number of positive reviews that they need,” says Anderson. “With 85% of consumers reading 10 or less reviews then we need to ensure that we have at least 10 reviews to satisfy them, but more importantly that the most recent 10 reviews are all positive....
Among consumers who sometimes or always recommend brands to others, sharing information face-to-face (80%) remains by far the most popular method of doing so, far ahead of email (51%) and social networks (39%), per results from a COLLOQUY.com study. Still, recommendations appear to be slowly moving online: the proportion using face-to-face conversations has gradually while those using social networks have edged up by 4% points since 2010.
One group appears to be leading the charge.The study identifies a subset of consumers dubbed “WOM Champions” – those who are highly likely to recommend their favorite brands and who are also well-connected and communicative – comprising 28% of the general population. Among WOM Champions who are also loyalty program members, 60% are using social networking platforms to discuss products and services, up from 48% in 2010. Half also use mobile messaging to discuss brands....
|
![5 Ways Online Reviews Affect Your Business [Stats] | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it](https://img.scoop.it/S-bZc733k3Z5WWn0870naDl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9)
Columnist Jordan Garner discusses the power of reviews and other user-generated content in fostering transparent two-way relationships between brands and customers.
Columnist Jordan Garner discusses the power of reviews and other user-generated content in fostering transparent two-way relationships between brands and customers.