Tuesday 8 May 2012

The Importance of a Consumer Review

Consumer reviews increase conversions. This is a fact! But if you want to know why, the answer is still easy... because reviews eliminate any doubt they might have about the product.

Reviews are being read by consumers because they help them to take their purchase decisions and they actually increase conversions for a simple reason: The potential clients that take the time to read other customers comments, are in "purchase mode" and every positive comment about the product will eliminate any doubts they might have, leading them to purchasing.
 
Besides that, we need to consider that people are also leaving comments about their purchase experience.

In fact, AMPICI (Spanish initials for Mexican Internet Association) declares that the growth of e-commerce in Mexico from 2010 to 2011 was of 28% and estimates that the growth vs 2012, will be of above 30%.

One SEO benefit of reviews is that they can give the site a higher ranking on search engine results. All sites are using the same manufacturer descriptions and specifications of the products, so reviews are going to be the thing that will help them to differentiate between other sites. 

Because of reviews are becoming an increasingly important part of the purchase journey for online buyers, we need to consider that the keywords consumers are using during their research are going to include the words "reviews" or "ratings"

So far it is understood that when the consumer is going to take the purchase decision, the positive reviews make the difference, but bad reviews are also valuable. In order for the customer to trust in the authenticity of the reviews, there have to be a balance of good vs bad comments about the brand.  Credibility is clue, so the best way of avoiding the user to suspect censorship or deceit, is having both kind of reviews in the site. The word balance, plays a key role, because too many bad reviews could damage the image of the brand or the product. Is important to consider that the tolerance to bad reviews depend on the the age group and the product that you are trying to sell.

The challenge consists in attracting customers to rating your product, which might also be simple, if  as a brand you have clear what you are giving them in return.


E-Commerce Consumer Reviews (source)




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