Consumer Reviews Sway Purchase Decisions

It pays to add consumer reviews to your e-commerce Web site. Such was the finding of a recent survey from the market research firm Opinion Research Corp., an infoGroup company, where 61 percent of respondents said they consult online reviews, blogs and other sources of online customer feedback before purchasing new products or services, with search engines being the preferred method of conducting the research. The survey polled 736 consumers. Here are some more of its findings:

* 83 percent said online product evaluations and reviews had at least some level of influence on their purchasing decisions;

* 70 percent said they seek information online for a particular brand of goods and services, with travel/recreation/leisure at the top of the list of services most researched (82 percent), followed by electronic goods (80 percent); household products/services (66 percent); clothing, automotive (both at 55 percent); personal care (40 percent) and food (24 percent);

* while the majority of respondents said they sought out online reviews, only 32 percent reported posting their own online feedback on product or service experiences;

* 38 percent said they first consult online product or service reviews when they begin their shopping research;

* 27 percent consult the Internet when they’re trying to decide between two or three products or services; and

* 21 percent said they use online product or service reviews at the narrowing down stage to confirm that they’re buying the right product or service.