30 Aug Reviews directly influence the consumer’s purchase decision

• Within the e-commerce landscape, reviews are a determining factor of purchase for the user
• Negative reviews affect a website’s reputation

Consumer opinion directly influences the purchasing decisions of other users who are receptive to consuming a brand’s product. According to the study conducted by TERRITORY Influence, 80% of respondents claimed to post reviews in order to help other people. In addition, of these, more than 88% also acknowledged consulting opinions from other consumers before making the purchase.

Today, companies are incentivized to work strategically in the initial phase of the sales funnel from the moment the customer accesses the platform, in order to influence their purchasing decisions.

In this case, it is also necessary to delve into the user’s consumption habits during their time in the Store, in order to apply effective strategic actions that improve their conversion rate.

How does the user act when shopping online?

Users’ consumption habits have changed after the pandemic. E-commerce is on the rise and every business has a website regardless of where they sell. Therefore, the user’s shopping experience is a determining factor for a brand’s commercial success. A negative review on your website can directly influence your corporate reputation.

Currently, 70% of consumers rely on reviews before consuming products in physical stores and are willing to buy more if they have seen positive reviews. Likewise, 60% of young people consider reviews before buying, while for 47% of adults it is a determining factor.

Other key factors that influence user decision-making are: the score, the number of comments a product has or the date of publication of the same, as reported by the Apache study focused on Online Reviews.

It has been proven that consumers value the variety of testimonials and their updating, so if your community is well managed, you could generate a higher volume of sales conversion.

Positive and negative reviews have a different impact

Not all reviews are created equal, ratings below 4 are not considered very positive for a demanding audience. On the other hand, the average score considered negative is 2.31%.

Being positioned on the Amazon platform with a rating index above 4 influences the positioning of the product and the visibility of the brand at an organic level. In addition, it can encourage the customer to repeat and consume new products, recommend them to third parties and even cause them to go viral.

In fact, having 15 or more reviews is a favorable figure, but the ideal to capture the attention of a potential customer is to have between 50-200.

Fake Reviews on Amazon

In recent years, it has been shown that many of the reviews registered on Amazon are not real, as there are companies that are dedicated to doing business with this illegal practice. In this case, there are third parties that sell “positive reviews” in exchange for a few euros per comment and there are also brands that exchange products for free in exchange for reviews to position their catalog among the most valued on the platform.

The e-commerce giant, after detecting this deceptive activity in its browser, blocked the accounts of more than 600 sellers in 2021 on the grounds that they were undercover advertising on the platform.

Currently, this practice is considered an infringement that falls under the direct competence of the Secretary of State. Therefore, following the royal decree approved in November 2021, those Internet operators that are considered to violate the “General Law for the Defense of Consumers and the Unfair Competition Law” can be denounced for creating false reviews, as long as this can be accredited.

Thus, if Amazon detects that a company is engaging in fraudulent practices, it will permanently block its account and it is also considered to be committing an illegal act in the eyes of the Secretary of State.

Conclusion

The user is a social consumer who relies on third-party reviews or recommendations to purchase a product or service.

All companies must focus on reinforcing their corporate image and identity and offer quality items to meet the demands of users and encourage their recurrence. Therefore, providing a good service is essential to obtain positive feedback from the customer and consequently boost the visibility of the brand.