How many times have you been stopped in a mall, on the street, or at a traffic light with sales offers? How many times did you just turn away and avoid becoming a potential customer? Probably every time. Now, how many times have you browsed the internet looking for positive reviews and feedback about a product or service? Probably every time as well!
So, the question remains: why do we entrust strangers’ opinions when shopping online?
Let the numbers speak for themselves... Studies show that:
Now that we’ve covered the stats, let’s explore the psychology behind it...
Millennials trust people more than brands, meaning they rely on authentic social proof. They trust online content like bad reviews, fake reviews, and negative reviews. Simply put, if someone loves your restaurant, they will say so; if not, they will explain why.
On the other hand, online word-of-mouth replaces our need to depend solely on friends and family for recommendations on where to go and what to buy. Their opinion is valued but limited compared to the endless online options and top review sites filled with business reviews. Just type a few words into a search engine, hit enter, and see how deep the rabbit hole goes — a Matrix pun intended!
In short, we trust online reviews because, in most cases, they are honest and real representations of our online existence. They come from real customer experiences and real people — emotional and unbiased. There’s an unspoken close friendship among online reviewers, recommending products to one another, praising services, and celebrating successes online.
What makes it even more diverse is that these reviewers come from different places, mindsets, cultures, and preferences, yet at the end of the day, they gather under one umbrella, sharing their opinions about a brand, product, or service — especially in gyms, restaurants, or when excited enough to finally buy that new phone they hesitated about the past two months.
We also consider other reviewers as peers, so we trust their opinions as if they were our friends or colleagues. That’s why it’s important to avoid a bad reputation and seek reputation management companies.
Consumers today understand that it’s all about the “customer experience.” So, when they experience a brand that values their experience, they want others to try it too and spread the word — lots of experiences, right? It’s all about being online!
Additionally, be cautious about fake reviews. It’s a common issue you should watch out for through online reputation management.
Back to some insightful numbers, here are purchases millennials won’t complete without researching online reviews and doing due diligence on top review sites, Google reviews, Google ratings, and others like Zomato, TripAdvisor, Facebook, and some other platforms:
Social media platforms are fertile ground for online consumers to talk about your business or read about it. It’s important to monitor your social media profiles and posts. It’s a good way to avoid negative content and see other forms of customer reviews. You want your business to have positive content when present on social media and to avoid bad online experiences. After all, this is social proof when you use social media marketing from your social media accounts!
Creating content can also be a challenge, so use your online content — aka your five-star reviews — to create a positive reputation on your social channels.
Google My Business is an excellent way to track your online reviews and a good place to monitor reviews. Check out the website to learn more about Google My Business.
The benefit is that consumers are becoming smarter day by day, if not every hour. Trust and intimacy in online reviews create a bond of internet elites who have become market overseers and decision influencers, and by elites, we mean “customer experience” rather than brand promise.
Online reviews are here to stay, as is managing your online reputation, because your customers read and believe what they come across about your brand in those reviews. It is therefore essential to closely monitor the word-of-mouth about your online presence. Positive reputation is what you’re looking for, and an online reputation management strategy can provide that.
Localyser can help you get this information. Online reputation management companies like us are a great resource to stay ahead of the game. Instead of hiring a dedicated online reputation manager to do a lot of work, work with us at Localyser; we can assist you with your online reputation management efforts.
Stay competitive, improve your SEO, and understand why people trust strangers online when making purchase decisions. We will help your online customer experiences and leave you with happy customers instead of unhappy ones.
