01 Sep Reviews directly influence the consumer’s decision to buy

• In the e-commerce landscape, reviews are a determining factor in the user’s purchasing decision
• 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 TERRITORY Influence study, 80% of respondents said they posted reviews in order to help others. Also, of these, more than 88% also acknowledged consulting reviews from other consumers before making a purchase.

Today, companies are encouraged 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’s also necessary to delve deeper into the user’s consumption habits during their visit to the Store, in order to apply effective strategic actions to improve their conversion rate.

How does the user act when shopping online?

User consumption habits have changed in the wake of the pandemic. E-commerce is on the rise and all companies have a website regardless of their point of sale. Therefore, the user’s shopping experience is a determining factor for the commercial success of a brand. A negative opinion on your website can directly influence your corporate reputation.

Today, 70% of consumers rely on reviews before purchasing products in physical shops and are willing to buy more if they have seen positive reviews. Also, 60% of young people consider reviews before they buy, while 47% of adults consider reviews as a determining factor.

Other key factors that influence the user’s decision making include: the rating, the number of reviews a product has or the date of publication of the reviews, as reported by the Apache study focused on online reviews.

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

Positive and negative reviews have different impacts

Not all opinions are the same; ratings below 4 are not considered very positive by demanding customers. On the other hand, the average score considered to be negative is 2.31%.

Being positioned on the Amazon platform with a rating above 4 influences product positioning and brand visibility at a structured level. Also, it can encourage the customer to come back and consume new products, recommend them to others and even cause them to go viral.

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

Fake Reviews on Amazon

In recent years, it has been shown that many of the reviews posted on Amazon aren’t real, as there are companies that make a business out of this illegal practice. In this case, there are third parties that sell «positive opinions» in exchange for a few euros per comment, and there are also brands that exchange products for free in exchange for reviews in order to position their catalogue among the most highly rated on the platform.

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

This practice is now considered an offence which falls under the direct jurisdiction of the Secretary of State. Therefore, following the royal decree approved in November 2021, Internet operators who are considered to be in breach of the «General Law for the Defence of Consumers and the Law on Unfair Competition» can be reported to the authorities for creating false reviews, as long as this can be proven.

As such, if Amazon detects that a company is engaging in fraudulent practices, it will block its account permanently and furthermore, it is 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 should focus on reinforcing their corporate image and identity and offer quality products to meet user demand and encourage repeat business. Therefore, providing a good service is essential to obtain positive customerfeedback and consequently boost brand visibility.