Importance of Product Reviews
There are more reasons than one why product reviews are very important. In our Photoshop Lady website, we are confident that every product review written is not just a figment of our imagination or something that we randomly thought about. We understand how and why product reviews are very significant and important. That is why we always do our best to come up with reviews that will not only be a good read but will also be of great help. So, if you are still wondering about the importance of product reviews, don’t worry since this post is solely on them!
What is a product review
To start with, what really is a product review? Taken from the Cambridge Dictionary, a product review is also known as a customer review. In e-commerce or marketing, it is an evaluation or a report about a product on a commercial or guide website to help future consumers decide on whether to use or buy a certain product.
According to Vangie Beal, when it comes to e-commerce, product reviews are used on shopping sites to give writers and customers the opportunity to rate and comment on products they have purchased. It can be done through an e-mail or right immediately on the product page. When published, other consumers can read these when making a purchase decision, and help them decide as well. Often, the company will include a URL on printed literature or e-mail marketing to invite customers to review their service after a transaction has been completed. Therefore, product reviews do not only affect the popularity or the feedback on products, but also the decision future consumers or buyers will make.
Importance of product reviews
Ratings and product reviews greatly affect the decision-making and behavior of the modern consumers. A high percentage of consumers read and base their decisions on product reviews. An online product review is the digital version of word-of-mouth marketing and we cannot turn away from it. It is defined by how customers or product reviewers experience a brand, product, software, or service. And, like any other experience, it continuously evolves over time.
Steer purchase decisions
The presence of product reviews can help establish authenticity in a website. Most shoppers, especially the modern oneprs, will most likely never purchase a product without reading a good deal of product reviews. Believe it or not, they will make time to read every product review of a product that caught their eye. People read the good, the average, and the downright negative to make the all-important decision: should I pull out my wallet and purchase this thing? A study revealed that the presence of ratings and product reviews ranked as the most important factor affecting purchase decisions. Consumers consider them as an integral factor in their online purchase decision compared to the brand or price of the product. Also, whether or not free shipping is offered. Therefore, product reviews are important since they greatly affect purchasing decisions.
Builds trust and confidence in the product
Product reviews are one of the many ways to gain trust in the product and store. Online product reviews also increase and improve the website’s reputation. They do not work only to put confidence in their products but mostly build trust and loyalty. Well-written product reviews also set your products apart from the other ones. It is important that you get to establish trust through a good set of product reviews. Why? It is because trust when built, can help convert offline consumers online, and online consumers to become loyal buyers. Product reviews are also considered as a go-to source of product information for informed consumers. When stakes are high, such as with products in categories like computer, software, electronics and appliances, shoppers tend to place an even higher regard on trusty product information.
The modern “word-of-mouth”
The WOM or word-of-mouth marketing strategy has been a very effective way to encourage consumers to buy and use a certain product. Now, in our technologically advancing world, product reviews are considered to be the modern word-of-mouth. Before, shoppers relied on the opinions of friends, families, and sales agents to guide their purchasing decisions. Now, consumers tend to read tons of product reviews to guide them not only in buying products, but also tutorials, tips, and tricks related to different items. Nowadays, product reviews enable shoppers to tap into the hundreds of millions of these authentic opinions and product reviews. The influence of word-of-mouth marketing is growing, especially among younger and new consumers. Through reading product reviews, consumers get to be either encouraged or discouraged, just like the word-of-mouth works.
Increase the store’s online presence, exposure, and discoverability
Product reviews can also effectively help in increasing a store ’s online presence. Since customer feedback and written product reviews appear on each product’s page, reviews can help pages be found on search engines via unique and well-researched keywords. In the early phase of the purchasing decision, potential buyers will filter their options based on ratings and reviews. Product reviews become important evaluation tools for making purchases, which is crucial in the absence of the ability to try and test products such as automotive and consumer electronics and software. It is a complex form of user-generated content that is rich in SEO, using different words or keywords to make the product more discoverable, specifically for certain audiences. More product reviews mean more and long-term exposure for your store and website.
Effectively drive sales
As mentioned above, product reviews are important since they affect purchase decisions. And because of this, they can also effectively drive sales. There is a strong relationship between product reviews and sale conversation rates. It has everything to do with the buyer’s way of filtering decisions based on the product review they have read. A helpful product review is like a second opinion that reassures a buyer of their purchase. It does encourage them from the consideration to the purchase phase.
Facts to support the importance of product reviews
- 92% users will use a local business if it has four-star or above rating.
- 90% consumers read online reviews before visiting a business.
- 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- 85% of customers read up to 10 reviews.
- 72% of consumers feel that positive reviews make them trust online selling websites more.
- 72% online shoppers will purchase only after reading positive reviews.
- 67% of consumers read up to 6 reviews.
- 39% customers read reviews regularly.
- 31% consumers are inclined to spend on business with excellent reviews.
- 7% of consumers read 20+ reviews.
Source: Search Engine Land
Conclusion
The immediate importance of product reviews is that they can make your consumers and future customers feel that much more confident. The more great product reviews you have, the more convinced a shopper will be. Thinking and knowing that they’re making the right decision on a trusted website. Moreover, product reviews can also help everyone understand your products better. At Photoshop Lady, we do not only prepare tips, tricks, tutorials, and guides for you. We also find and write significant product reviews that will surely be helpful.
