Online shoppers are reading more user reviews and being more and more influenced by them, according to a couple of recent studies.
Last week, Nielsen reported that 81 per cent of online holiday shoppers read online customer reviews. Seventy-one per cent said that consumer reviews make them more comfortable about their purchasing decisions. Of those, 63 per cent said that it was important to have multiple reviews for each product and 14 per cent said they looked for reviews from an established source.
“Consumer reviews are a must-have for online retailers, especially during the holiday season when
shoppers are buying for others in categories they’re less familiar with,” said Ken Cassar, vice
president, industry insights, Nielsen Online. “Perhaps more than any other time of year, consumers
are looking for outside feedback for guidance.”
And in the September 2008 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey revealed that 61 per cent of U.S. consumers who recently purchased a mobile or wireless phone said that consumer reviews had an influence on their purchase decision.
“This is the modern day version of ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising,” said C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of Ad-ology Research. “Advertisers have always known the immense value of positive ‘word-of-mouth’. Now consumers have a whole world of opinions and reviews available online, and this survey shows how much they value that kind of information.”
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