Why customer reviews matter in 2019

According to a BrightLocal survey, about 88% percent of people trust reviews from other customers just like they trust the opinions of their friends or family. Thus, a sufficient number of good reviews is of great importance for generating leads and influencing increased sales.

Reviews influence consumer decisions

First of all, it is worth remembering that buyers actually read reviews. When purchasing a product or service, buyers want to know everything about it and rely on the opinions of other people who have purchased this product.

The experience of previous buyers is of great importance. If you have no or few reviews, your audience will be wary of purchasing from you. She needs confirmation that a large number of people have already done business with you, and everything went well for them.

Reviews are even more important if the price of your products is higher than the market average. Customers don’t want to worry about transaction guarantees or think about whether they will be deceived, so good reviews work to create the image of a reputable company that can be trusted. For this peace of mind, people are willing to pay more than the normal price of the product.

Reviews help you keep your finger on the pulse of trends

Reviews give you a great opportunity to understand what works well for you and what needs adjustment. People leaving reviews often point out shortcomings and shortcomings in the way the process is set up in your business.

This means that you can correct or improve your product, pay attention to certain points in the process of providing your service.

Reviews help compare you and your competitors

In the majority There is competition among market segments. And if you want to stay afloat and win the competition, you will have to carefully study customer reviews and identify not only your own, but also other people's strengths and weaknesses. This will help streamline business processes, focus on advantages, and remove disadvantages.

You must have a better rating than your competitors. Then, other things being equal, people will choose you more often. It's especially good if you have a lot of positive reviews on neutral sites like Google. They increase confidence in your business and serve as a kind of guarantee that other users will like everything too.

Reviews build awareness of your brand

Brand awareness is a very important part in building relationships with actual and potential customers and building their loyalty. Don't forget to analyze them and write answers. These actions will show that you are interested in your customers and care about the impression you make on them. Often, a simple “thank you” in response to a positive review will be enough to show that you care.

Dealing with negative reviews is just as important. You can help solve problems that arose during the operation of your product, suggest where to go if it breaks, resolve the issue of replacement or refund. With such an attitude, even negative reviews will increase client loyalty, since the client will not be left alone with the problem and will know that he will always be helped.

The main thing is not to overdo it

Do not delete negative ones reviews or influence the rating directly in some way, for example, paying for a large number of reviews with the maximum rating . The absence of a negative experience will raise suspicions, because no matter how well the service or delivery is, there will still be a number of users for whom something went wrong.

Where to start

It’s easy for well-known companies with a large number of clients to increase the number of reviews. What about newbies? Try to use as many resources as possible and encourage users to leave reviews. Take advantage of direct mail opportunities, distributing flyers in public places, social networks - offer small bonuses or discounts. In a word, do everything possible so that at least the first people want to describe your services or products appear.

So, digital word of mouth is a great way to increase sales. It cannot be ignored. It is worth using it as intensively as possible to get new and retain old customers.