Whether you own or manage a small mom-and-pop restaurant, a computer software company, or a chain of coffee shops, your customers are likely to look for you online.<\/p>\n
That means one of the first things they\u2019ll do is look for online reviews about your business<\/a>.<\/p>\n Of course, positive reviews help you to create a trusted brand, which people are more likely to purchase from. However, how you respond to negative reviews also says much about your business.<\/p>\n Yelp, Google Business Profile, TripAdvisor, and similar are a boon for consumers, giving them a platform to learn about businesses before patronizing them.<\/p>\n For business owners? Not so much.<\/p>\n It seems that no matter how hard you try, you\u2019re bound to get that one bad review<\/a> that could potentially overshadow all your glowing reviews.<\/p>\n Online reviews, however, are an unavoidable part of doing business online.<\/p>\n For millennials, reviews are empowering, helping them make an informed and thought-out purchase decision (useful when deciding if a restaurant\u2019s $15 avocado toast is worth it).<\/p>\n If you still aren\u2019t completely on board, here are online review statistics that may change your mind.<\/p>\n According to a 2021 report by PowerReviews, over 99.9%<\/a> of customers read reviews when they shop online.<\/p>\n Furthermore, 96% of customers look for negative reviews specifically. This figure was 85% back in 2018.<\/p>\n When people look for bad reviews, they\u2019re interested in knowing some of the company\u2019s weaknesses. Where could they improve? If the downfalls are minor, it makes the researcher feel assured.<\/p>\n A near-perfect rating is often viewed as less credible and leads to consumer skepticism if reviews are too positive.<\/p>\n BrightLocal\u2019s local consumer survey shows that 49% of consumers<\/a> trust reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family members.<\/p>\n When you consider just how much we trust the people we love, it\u2019s compelling to think that every 1 in 2 people trust online reviews as much.<\/p>\n However, the research reveals that some occasions cause consumers to suspect a review\u2019s validity. So, you do need to be mindful of this.<\/p>\n Situations that can raise suspicion that a review may be fake include:<\/p>\n BrightLocal\u2019s research also found that 60% of consumers feel that the number of reviews a business has is critical when reviewing and deciding whether to use its services.<\/p>\n Although this has dropped since 2020, it\u2019s still a high figure, especially compared to 2019, 2018, and 2017.<\/p>\n While online reviews are seeing a rise in consumer trust, the same can\u2019t be said for traditional advertising.<\/p>\n According to Performance Marketing World, 84%<\/a> of millennials don\u2019t trust conventional advertising.<\/p>\n If anything, this finding is a sign of the times. People are tired of ads being pushed on their faces, especially ads that belie the truth of the quality of the products and services they get from brands.<\/p>\n OuterBox recently revealed that every 8 in 10 shoppers<\/a> use their smartphones to look up product reviews while they are in-store.<\/p>\n Before buying an item, shoppers will quickly search to see what other people have had to say about the product in question.<\/p>\n Some will compare prices, determining whether they can find the item elsewhere cheaper.<\/p>\n This statistic shows how the online and offline worlds are becoming increasingly integrated. If you don\u2019t have a good online review presence, it can have a negative impact on the number of sales you make in-store.<\/p>\n Yotpo has revealed that reviews on social media platforms<\/a> increase social commerce, especially on Twitter. You can see this displayed in the chart below:<\/p>\n When we think of social media, we associate it with building brand awareness. However, it\u2019s also effective for driving sales.<\/p>\n Shopify recently published a survey that revealed the average conversion rate for the social media websites<\/a> represented in the graph above:<\/p>\n Yotpo Data found that when reviews are shared on social platforms, the conversion rate is 5.3 times higher for LinkedIn, 8.4 times higher for Twitter, and 40 times higher for Facebook.<\/p>\n All these statistics show us that reviews are an incredibly powerful form of social proof that results in higher conversion levels across LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.<\/p>\n Furthermore, a lot of the eCommerce world is underestimating Twitter\u2019s force.<\/p>\n If you thought consumers were the only ones concerned about reviews, think again.<\/p>\n Research published by Glassdoor indicates that 86%<\/a> of employees and job seekers research reviews on a business and ratings to determine whether they should apply for a job.<\/p>\n As competition for talent in certain industries gets tougher, companies will have no choice but to be more conscious about their employer brand if they wish to attract top talent.<\/p>\n When deciding whether to engage with a business, it has been indicated that 3.3 stars out of 5<\/a> are the lowest rating customers are likely to consider.<\/p>\n If you have a lower rating than this, your business may be overlooked and lose valuable consumers to the competition.<\/p>\n It probably does not come as a shock to discover that only 13% of consumers will contemplate using a company with a rating of 2 stars<\/a> or less.<\/p>\n The Expedia.com Travel Recovery Trend Report<\/a> revealed that the environment and sustainability are two chief themes for online guest reviews.<\/p>\n Some of the terms most typically found in reviews include the following:<\/p>\n Expedia believes that millennial and Gen-Z travelers are more likely to consider environmentally friendly travel options.<\/p>\n Research shows that 91% of 18 to 34-year-olds<\/a> trust reviews online just as much as personal recommendations.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s think about this for a second: we\u2019re now trusting online comments just as much as we trust feedback from the people we know and love.<\/p>\n This shows how much high regard millennials and Gen Z give to online reviews.<\/p>\n When soliciting reviews, most businesses send an email post-purchase.<\/p>\n Yotpo studied the subject lines of 3.5 million<\/a> of these post-purchase review request emails to discover what works and what doesn\u2019t when asking customers for reviews.<\/p>\n While this is much more than a single statistic, here is a synopsis of the top subject line tweaks to get more reviews:<\/p>\n Podium released a very interesting report on online reviews, stating that 94%<\/a> of local companies who utilize a reputation management tool make up for the cost with the ROI.<\/p>\n How your company appears online massively dictates what shows up in terms of your bottom line.<\/p>\n Because of this, companies are investing more in their reputations than ever before.<\/p>\n One way they do this is by investing in reputation management software. This gives them the ability to have clarity regarding how their business is reviewed online.<\/p>\n Power Reviews recently posted interesting statistics about the number of reviews shoppers want.<\/p>\n In a perfect world, 43%<\/a> of consumers have indicated that they want to see more than 100 reviews for an item.<\/p>\n Take a look at the table below to see consumer expectations regarding review volume:<\/p>\n Consumers indicate that a notably high volume of reviews can have a big, positive impact on their purchase likelihood.<\/p>\n Out of those surveyed, 64% indicated that they would be more likely to purchase an item if it had over 1,000 reviews than if it only had 100 reviews.<\/p>\n Furthermore, 54% are more likely to purchase an item if it has 10,000+ reviews compared to 1,000 reviews. So, more is always better when it comes to quantity.<\/p>\n BrightLocal has also uncovered that 78% of travelers never post unsolicited online hotel reviews. This means you cannot simply rely on customers to post hotel reviews of their own free will. They need to be encouraged to do so.<\/p>\n Customers say that the main ways they have been asked to leave a review are as follows:<\/p>\n You need to be mindful of how you approach customers when asking to leave a review. The last thing you want to do is come across as pushy. At the same time, you want to make customers feel compelled to post a comment.<\/p>\n Offering an incentive, such as a special discount or entry into a competition, is a good approach.<\/p>\n While online consumers rely on reviews to make purchasing decisions, they\u2019re also suspicious of fake reviews. In fact, 93% of Facebook account holders are suspicious of fake reviews on this social media platform.<\/p>\n As you can see from the table, only 7% of users don\u2019t feel at all suspicious about Facebook reviews.<\/p>\n Users also have low trust in Google, Yelp, and Amazon reviews.<\/p>\n Did you know that 7 in 10<\/a> consumers utilize rating filters when looking for companies?<\/p>\n Out of all the different rating options, the most popular is to narrow down a search based on the rating it is, for example, to only show hotels with ratings of four stars or above.<\/p>\n This helps customers only view products, locations, and services that fall within their standards. No one wants to waste their time on things that don\u2019t fit!<\/p>\n When customers post negative reviews about a business, they expect a response. Not only this, but they don\u2019t want to wait around for it.<\/p>\n Review Trackers have stated that 53% of customers expect companies to respond to negative feedback within one week.<\/p>\n One in three consumers<\/a> has a shorter timeframe than this; three days or less.<\/p>\n Therefore, you really need to ensure you\u2019re keeping up with the reviews you receive and responding appropriately.<\/p>\n Podium\u2019s 2021 State of Reviews publication revealed that 56%<\/a> of consumers had changed their perspective on a business based on how they responded to a review.<\/p>\n We know that it can make you feel sick to your stomach when you receive a bad review from a customer. However, this statistic shows that there is the potential to turn this into a positive.<\/p>\n If you respond empathetically and try to understand the customer, they will feel like you really care about them and the service they receive. You can turn an unsatisfied customer into a loyal one.<\/p>\n And, even if the consumer who has complained does not reply, the fact you\u2019ve tried to rectify their grievance will show your business in a positive light when others read the review.<\/p>\n These statistics reveal one unavoidable truth: online reviews are important and are here to stay.<\/p>\n Simply put, online reviews are directly linked to consumer trust and creating social proof<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rather than fear them, you should look at them as a way to get a direct line to your customers.<\/p>\n If you are yet to begin your efforts to manage your online reputation, now\u2019s as good a time as any to get started by doing the following:<\/p>\n More resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n Featured Image: ParinPix\/Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\nWhy Online Reviews Are So Powerful<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Positive & Negative Reviews Influence Consumers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2. Consumers Trust Reviews Like Recommendations From Loved Ones<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Consumers](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/18-online-review-statistics-every-marketer-should-know-via-sejournal-jonleeclark.png\")
Screenshot from BrightLocal, January 2023<\/span><\/div>\n\n
3. The More Reviews, The Better Reputation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/18-online-review-statistics-every-marketer-should-know-via-sejournal-jonleeclark-1.png\")
Screenshot from BrightLocal, January 2023<\/span><\/div>\n4. Most Consumers Don\u2019t Trust Advertising<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5. Shoppers Research Product Reviews On Their Phones \u2013 Outside Of Your Store<\/strong><\/h2>\n
6. Reviews Shared On Twitter Increase Social Commerce<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Reviews](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/18-online-review-statistics-every-marketer-should-know-via-sejournal-jonleeclark.jpg\")
Screenshot from Yotpo.com, January 2023<\/span><\/div>\n\n
7. Reviews Are Just As Important Among Jobseekers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/18-online-review-statistics-every-marketer-should-know-via-sejournal-jonleeclark-2.png\")
Screenshot from Glassdoor.com, January 2023<\/span><\/div>\n8. 3.3 Stars Is The Minimum Rating Customers Accept<\/strong><\/h2>\n
9. Sustainability Is A Recurring Theme In Travel Reviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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10. 18 \u2013 34 Year Olds Trust Online Reviews as Much as Personal Recommendations<\/strong><\/h2>\n
11. Tiny Subject Line Changes Can Get More Reviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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12. Reputation Management Software Pays For Itself<\/strong><\/h2>\n
13. Customers Believe A Product Should Have 100+ Reviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"43%](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/18-online-review-statistics-every-marketer-should-know-via-sejournal-jonleeclark-3.png\")
Screenshot from PowerReviews.com, January 2023<\/span><\/div>\n14. Few Travelers Post Unsolicited Online Hotel Reviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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15. Consumers Are Becoming Increasingly Suspicious Of Facebook Reviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Consumers](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/18-online-review-statistics-every-marketer-should-know-via-sejournal-jonleeclark-4.png\")
Screenshot from Brightlocal, January 2023<\/span><\/div>\n16. Most Consumers Use Rating Filters<\/strong><\/h2>\n
17. Customers Expect You To Respond To Negative Reviews Within 7 Days<\/strong><\/h2>\n
18. Your Response To A Review Can Change How Customers View Your Business<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Bottom Line On The Impact of Online Reviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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