Consumer Review Statistics that Drive Word-Of-Mouth Advertising
Consumer reviews on third party websites such as Yelp, Google Places, Twitter, Facebook, City Search and others are quickly becoming the new word-of-mouth advertising. Consumers are looking online now more than ever before making purchase decisions.
target="_blank">SearchEnginePeople.com compiled 12 statistics about this new “revolution.”
1. Traffic to the top 10 review sites grew on average 158% last year (Compete.com)
2. 97% who made a purchase based on an online review found the review to be accurate (Comscore/The Kelsey Group, Oct. 2007)
3. 92% have more confidence in info found online than they do in anything from a salesclerk or other source (Wall Street Journal, Jan 2009)
4. 90% of online consumers trust recommendations from people they know; 70% trust unknown users, 27% trust experts, 14% trust advertising, 8% trust celebrities (Econsultancy, July 2009, Erik Qualman, Socialnomics)
5. 75% of people don’t believe that companies tell the truth in advertisements (Yankelovich)
6. 70% consult reviews or ratings before purchasing (BusinessWeek, Oct. 2008)
7. 7 in 10 who read reviews share them with friends, family & colleagues thus amplifying their impact (Deloitte & Touche, Sept. 2007)
8. 51% of consumers use the Internet even before making a purchase in shops (Verdict Research, May 2009)
9. 45% say they are influenced a fair amount or a great deal by reviews on social sites from people they follow (46% say reviews in newspaper or magazine influence them.) (Harris Poll, April 2010)
10. 34% have turned to social media to air their feelings about a company. 26% to express dissatisfaction, 23% to share companies or products they like. (Harris Poll, April 2010)
11. Why do they share? 46% feel they can be brutally honest on the Internet. 38% aim to influence others when they express their preferences online (Harris Poll, April 2010)
12. Reviews on a site can boost conversion +20% (Bazaarvoice.com/resources/stats ‘Conversion Results’)
The internet word-of-mouth revolution gives your the power to respond to praises and critics alike. Businesses who engage customer reviews online can benefit greatly if done correctly.
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Jamie Bong4:52 am on August 12th, 2010
The online environment will finally help customers to make the right decision when buying a product. However, there are business owners who pay people to write them a good review. So one should pay attention to those and only trust products with many favorable reviews.
Chelsea10:55 pm on August 12th, 2010
Great post, that’s right. Online consumer reviews is the new “word-of-mouth” advertising in today’s internet crazed society, so to speak. A lot of businesses had embraced this fact and have geared towards optimizing there online ad campaigns as well.
annabelle7:44 pm on September 10th, 2010
I think text messaging advertising is even faster. If you have a good product, spread it through text messaging, plus better marketing offers. We can also get their comments so we can improve it as well.
neneth11:06 pm on September 10th, 2010
Yes, I agree with you Chelsea. Online consumers is the word-of-mouth ads in today’s world. We should use this fast and advance arm of marketing. Small businessmen and beginners are luckier now.
carmen12:17 am on September 11th, 2010
I couldn’t agree more with this post. Online consumer reviews really help people make better decisions and purchases. On the other hand, it also helps businesses in their advertising. Online reviews seems to pave the way for a balance between good consumer decision-making and responsible business advertising.