What are the main advantages of online reviews? What does the term “verified review” refer to?
The growth of e-commerce has been explosive and continues to grow. One of the reasons for this success is undoubtedly the user’s ability to compare multiple products in just a few minutes.
The ability to compare the prices and quality of products from different suppliers and choose the best store is independent of the budget factor. Buyers want to be informed first, and product reviews are predominant in the decision. This article will observe the most critical aspects of the review phenomenon and the emerging platforms that certify its quality.
Table of Contents
It is no secret that online reviews are essential for the buyer, so many companies strive to investigate and acquire information through their site to make the consumer’s life easier. Considering this scenario and the purchasing power of customers, let’s see what the most important aspects of the reviews phenomenon are.
Users who shop online want to know the experiences of other shoppers. This trend is confirmed by the study published by the Spiegel Research Center, which indicates that 95% of buyers read online reviews before making a purchase.
Having an online business without reviews is equivalent to having no identity; this will arouse mistrust in the potential customer. The absence of opinions on your e-commerce products will give the impression that sales are low, will not increase the portal’s reputation, and the brand’s credibility will remain low.
Online brands care more than ever about the feedback their customers leave on their sites and encourage more customers to share their opinions. Online consumers are increasing, and with them, the number of comments.
According to Forbes, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a “personal recommendation”. We observe the effects of this behaviour on marketing strategies in the next paragraph.
For e-commerce platforms, having reviews today is practically a necessity. Let’s see why:
The online shopping market offers a vast choice, which can cause confusion; buying something can require considerable time and effort. The sure way to reduce it is to know what other people are buying, which trends, and which brands already have expressed authentic considerations. The reviews, therefore, help you make a quick purchase decision.
If a product has good ratings, customers tend to rely more on the E-Commerce platform that offers it. Therefore, reviews increase the trust of new customers, which is essential for reducing the cart abandonment rate at checkout.
Building a strong community of customers around an online business can be challenging. However, encouraging these customers to interact in the online shop will help build loyalty. Customers who make repeat purchases and share the shopping experience in the community will generate greater trust, but not only, but there will also be better visibility on the web, as indicated in the following point.
What does this have to do with reviews? Well, the more text published in the online shop, the more chances there are for keywords to appear in other users’ search results. The more keywords are distributed throughout the portal, the more visits can be generated, and sales can increase.
The reputation of a brand is the fundamental basis of online commerce. Who has yet to wonder whether the product they just purchased will be correctly delivered? Is the company reliable in this respect? Adding customer comments eliminates these doubts that could ruin the success of a sale.
The adaptive power of an online shop is important in this sense. Knowing which product generates the greatest interest or has the least popularity among the customer community is essential for readjusting the catalogue of items offered.
E-commerce retailers are aware that almost every time someone thinks about purchasing a product in their store, they will compare price and value with their competitors.
Reviews make the difference in this case, which is why if you can’t match the low prices of your competitors as a business owner, consider other ways to add value to your e-commerce.
For example, good customer service, discounts, free shipping or a large assortment of products can make your e-shop more attractive, leaving the customer pleasantly impressed. Again, since you cannot physically touch and feel the product, knowing the experiences of other users is of the utmost importance.
Especially for new e-commerce sites, each new review helps offer relevant content to those who don’t yet know you, giving your company greater recognition and a greater chance of indexing and positioning your pages within search engines.
Most brands are increasingly monitoring online reviews and responding to complaints. Understanding the importance of managing and paying attention to this communication channel effectively means implementing a sales strategy.
Consider that, on average, online shopping customers spend 31% more in a company with reviews. 72% of consumers will take action after reading a positive review, while 86% will refuse to purchase from a company with negative reviews. Furthermore, 9 out of 10 consumers say that an online opinion is as important as a personal recommendation.
Negative comments help and contribute to optimizing your online shop. What may initially appear as a negative comment must be food for thought and improvement; that is, it must become constructive criticism.
A customer evaluation is the best tool to determine possible failures in your services. For example, suppose a user comments on a very slow or unreliable delivery service. In that case, he may be the indicator to switch providers and emphasize resolving any problems. This “critical” review must be responded to even more promptly than positively.
In this way, you show the customer your interest in solving their problem or disappointment while showing other users the truthfulness and transparency of the opinion system.
Who guarantees that online reviews come from real customers and not from the seller, friends, or family? How do you know that the comments have not been manipulated?
Some third-party services guarantee that all the reviews present on the pages of a site come from real customers and that there is no manipulation, i.e., no comments have been modified or deleted. Choosing to entrust your e-commerce to an IT supplier for the management solution and collection of customer opinions will protect you from haters and “flame” messages from those who comment and leave reviews to annoy other users of your site. It will also give a quality seal to your reviews, which will always be verified.
However, you need to be careful about who you trust with your brand, as not all external services are impartial, so you need to know how to choose. The advice is to examine multiple companies; what emerges from each of them will help you decide which one best suits your needs.
To make your search easier, research which management systems are compatible with your e-commerce platform. This will allow you to do a first skimming. So consider all aspects, analyze which ones interest you and see which ones offer those features.
In light of what emerged from the previous paragraphs, numerous parameters contribute to defining the success and credibility of e-commerce. Looking at the experience of managing reviews from significant marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay can undoubtedly be a lesson. These companies have somehow based their success on customer experience, as demonstrated by their reviews.
Now that you know its benefits, what are you waiting for to start collecting reviews on your product listings? You no longer have any excuses to be on the front line!
Also Read : E-commerce Optimization: 7 Myths To Dispel Why It Doesn’t Sell
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