We are aware that word-of-mouth generates much more impact on the credibility of your business than you can ever picture. In this way, businesses are no longer the controller of their brand; their customers are. With the emerging eCommerce industry, online reviews are becoming critical for online sellers and sales of their products.
Do you have an online or local business? You can start focusing on your online reputation if you haven’t already. Read on to know how reviews can impact your business.
What are Online Reviews?
Online reviews, also known as customer feedback, are opinions provided by the customers to a brand after using and testing a product or service. Lately, reviews are being spotted all over the internet in the form of ratings, pictures, videos, or simple statements.
Multinational brands such as Amazon, Facebook, TripAdvisor, Google maps, and every other popular website you use have reviews. These brands have continuously served their customers and met their demands on time to receive reviews on their business, products, or services.
Online reviews are the key for brands to improve their services. Lately, specialized applications and websites have been launched with online reviews, specifically for your reference purposes. You could have the same when you understand the upcoming importance of online reviews.
Who Reads Online Reviews?
The customers and the brands generally read online reviews. Did you know that about 7 out of 10 customers worldwide tend to read reviews before putting their money or time into any products or services? By simple calculation, 70% of buyers are estimated to decide whether to purchase the product or not by reading online reviews.
On the other hand, businesses and brands read it to improve their business operations to serve their customers better. It also help them get enough data to understand their audience, market preferences, trends, and much more. While collecting all the needed data, the businesses then focus on improving their practices and satisfying the customer-specific needs. Online reviews also help brands or businesses foster growth in the future. Some brands happen to hire specialized individuals to keep a check on the reviews acquired by them.
How Can Online Reviews Drive More eCommerce Sales?
Online customer reviews need not be positive at all times. Around 45% of buyers usually claim that they are more likely to visit a particular website if it responds to negative reviews. So, it has become a new trend where online influencers try, test, and review the products to make other buyers more aware.
It is not the negative reviews that degrade your brand; it is how your brand responds to those comments. Most customers look forward to your business to enhance their prior buying experiences. If you are lucky, your customers might as well recommend your business to their friends, family, or colleagues while leaving positive reviews for your brand.
Ways In Which Online Reviews Influence Sales
Everything in this world has a “cause and reaction” effect. The online or offline market is not different from that. Therefore, we have shortlisted how your online review section can influence your product or service sales. Check out the below reasons.
1. Affect the Purchase Decision of Your Customers
If any customer is to buy a product online, they will surely scroll through the feedback provided under that product. When they find the reviews in your favour or business, they will buy that product. Many customers are more likely to purchase from a business or an online store if it has product ratings and reviews. The same works for negative reviews. Better the review, the more positive influence on your business; hence better the sales.
2. Promote Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Developing an SEO-friendly webpage is not a very time-bound and inexpensive matter. Some customers use effective keywords while registering their online reviews about a product. Using such keywords might also enhance the search rankings and ease the SEO process for other customers planning to buy the product. It mainly enables the customers to set their eyes on positive reviews, saving their time and effort.
3. New-age Marketing Tools
Considering a substantial shift from traditional to online marketing, several marketing tools such as advertisements, print, and social media, have been established to be the latest tools to boost sales. Well, guess what? Reviews are the latest marketing tools! You might not know this, but 95% of your website’s traffic comes through Google and Google maps. The best thing is that they are absolutely free and very effective for promoting your business. So, if you want to publicize for free, go for online reviews.
4. Builds the Trust and Understanding of Customers
While shopping online, customers might undergo trust issues as all they have are images of their desired product. eCommerce does not permit touching and feeling a product in person, like traditional shopping. When online reviews come in handy and help build the customers’ trust. A buyer can now judge the quality of a product by reading reviews online as social proof.
Conclusion
Expecting customers to buy your product or service simply by showcasing it via pictures and videos does not cause them to buy instantly. That is just human nature that many businesses fail to understand. But when the customers are provided with some social proof, they can buy it. When we claim that online reviews influence sales, various factors should be considered, such as star ratings, expensive products, verified buyers, anonymous reviews, etc. Your business can blow up instantly with reviews because they are the doors to a successful business in the new eCommerce era.
