There’s no doubt that effective online marketing can help any product to gain exposure and influence consumer purchasing decisions. Combine competent marketing with honest online reviews from real customers and it’s going to result in new sales.
According to findings from a survey by BrightLocal, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations.
The survey implemented in 2014, discovered that nearly 9 out of 10 consumers have read online reviews to ascertain the quality of a business or product, with 39% of people surveyed regularly checking online customer reviews before committing to buying.
85% of these people read up to 10 reviews to ensure that they were happy with the idea of using a company.
Sales and trust are intertwined. Customer reviews are behind the success of sites such as eBay where there is a tightly monitored review system that gives forth that much needed trust that makes it safe to buy.
Most buying takes place in a two part process, screening and selection. Screening looks at factors such as cost and the product itself. The selection part of the process involves whether the seller is on the side of the buyer. Most sales are made based on trust.
There are several follow on advantages of having secured that elusive trust. Once you have secured it from your buyer, it’s possible that they will buy from you without questions on your pricing, and they will share more information with you that could be beneficial to you to make future sales. They are more likely to take your phone calls and are more likely to continue to buy from you rather than to go with any other company. They’re even more likely to forgive the occasional mistake.
Think about your own experience with buying, would you rather buy from a car dealership (for example) that you have used before, as you feel that you trust them and have some idea of the quality of their cars and the service that they deliver. Or are you comfortable buying a new car from another dealership that you have found online, with no reviews and little information about them. You would need to weigh up the risks against what was involved in buying from the other dealership and other variables involved in this decision.
In summary, trust is key when it comes to making a sale. Online reviews remove some of the risk factor for a buyer. They can read what other buyers found to be of benefit from the product or service so that they feel comfortable enough to open their wallets. You can read more on the topic at www.reevuze.com.
