Online reviews impact more than half of consumers buying decisions

Google recently came out with some mind-boggling revelations that it served more than 1 trillion search queries last year. If these stats are anything to by, it serves a reminder how much impact Google searches has on our day-to-day existence. Right from job hunting to shopping to eating out at a nearby restaurant, Google searches truly influence our purchase decisions. To better summarize this influence; Google conducted a research survey on 1000 patrons to find out how the search giant and other major sites impact our buying decisions.

Do Consumers Go Beyond Google Page 1?

The study further went on to reveal that how much consumers neglected the search results beyond Page 1. So, how many pages were viewed, after going through page 1 results, gave a sneak peek about the perception of a particular brand's product or services. According to the study, 36 out of 100 consumers went past the first two pages of the search results. On the contrary, the search data findings suggests that only 2 out 100 consumers blinked past beyond the top five search entries. Comparing both results, it's evident that the actual consumer response differs from the search based findings.

Online Customer Feedback Is Crucial

So, who do you turn to when contemplating to buy an electronic gadget, home appliances or even a four wheeler? When participating consumers were asked the same question that whether the online feedback does impact their buying decision? Take a look below. The result further revealed that almost 68 out of 100 consumers look for an online review, before making a purchase. That means more than half of the consumers share the same opinion.

A Negative Review is all it Takes

So, what happens when you get a negative feedback about certain branded products or services? Well, the results showed that if there is one negative feedback, 22 out of 100 consumers get impacted negatively. If there are three negative comments then 60 out of 100 consumers feel negatively inclined about it as compared to four or more negatives, where 70 out of 100 consumers form a negative impression about the searched product or services.

Most Preferred Visiting Sites Before Buying

So, which are the most preferred sites consumers visit before buying a purchase decision other than the No.1 ranked search engine? The findings showed that Google+ Local reviews topped the charts followed by Amazon at No.2. The finding also revealed that consumers preferred Wikipedia more than Yelp or Trip Advisor, when searching for further information about a company.

The Final Outcome

The study findings revealed that the online feedback plays a major role in the consumers buying habits. The stats further claim that the online buyers are hardly ready to beyond the first two pages of the search results. Google+ Local coming out as the most favored information gathering site, with more negative customer feedback generating product or a service negatively impacting the sales performance of that particular brand. This brings to us a further conclusion that whatever online image you have of a brand, it will in turn positively or negatively impact the buyer’s perception of a particular brands product or services. And this will further be the determining factor impacting the profit margins of the company.

So how do you filter negative reviews and push more positive reviews?

We have a solution for you. Introducing our Review Widget, which will give you a chance to get more positive reviews on Google and Yelp for your business. This will help not only your Local SEO efforts but also attract new business. The best part is, you can filter negative reviews from the back end. So if someone leaves a positive review, you request them to post the review on Google or Yelp. If the review is negative, we don’t ask them to post the review to third party sites and handle the customer in a way that it does not become a bigger issue. If you like, we would be happy to give you a demo of our Review Widget so that you know how it works and its features. Contact our team at 877-378-6101 to learn more about how we can help or contact us online.