The answer to the
titular question is, “Yes.” The Internet, nowadays, has
transformed the way sellers and buyers meet and interact within the
marketplace. And especially with the advent of e-commerce, it has
become way simpler for customers to browse, to do comparison
shopping, and to buy; everything, now, can be done with just a couple
of clicks or a few swipes.
However,
with the advent of e-commerce, the competition among businesses has
become even more intense. With the Internet at your disposal, you can
make a better-informed purchase anytime anywhere. Presently, you can
find a number of websites that provide crowdsourced online reviews
for buying better.
These
reviews have the capability to shape buying decisions easily and
quickly; for this reason alone, it has become way harder for a
careless or unscrupulous business to make the most of the available
opportunities. Now, let’s list two of the main points that denote
the importance of online reviews.
They
drive or demolish businesses.
If
research works are to be believed, nearly 69 percent of consumers
search the Internet before taking any sort of buying decisions. (The
trust on online reviews is even greater when the consumer wishes to
leverage the services from a hotel or a restaurant.)
Nowadays,
consumers aren’t taking the advice of their neighbors or friends or
family, like the way we all did in the past. However, consumers have
become more intelligent and know where they could find some of the
most authentic reviews about products or services. Which is why, it’s
aptly said that an online review can either drive or destroy a
business.
How
does an online review influence the customer?
Close
to 28 percent of American consumers have already penned online
reviews, and more than 84 percent of these consumers go through these
reviews before buying. (In short, the feedback has always streamlined
the buying process for many consumers.)
And
the reviews that come from other consumers are often trusted when
they’re compared with those that are given by celebrities and other
key personalities (who’re basically endorsing the product). Because
of their authenticity, these online reviews have influenced the
buying decision of many consumers to a tee.
These
two reasons have helped many prudent business owners to take reviews
management seriously. Many business people also take the assistance
of leading digital marketers to use SEO and SMO strategies for
generating positive online reviews. If leveraged properly, these
online reviews prove to be one of the finest marketing assets for
companies.
