The rise of e-commerce has shaped consumerism in the past decades. It’s become apparent that shoppers have become more accustomed to purchasing goods online. This has become the most convenient way for people to enjoy shopping without going to an actual store. E-commerce has truly brought shopping to a whole new level. The internet should be thanked for it.
Speaking of the internet, information dissemination is one of its main functions. In the world of e-commerce, everything people see about a product is already online. That includes feedback from buyers who have used products they bought from e-commerce platforms. This particular information is very important. In fact, research reveals 91 percent of people regularly or occasionally read online reviews.
This makes customer reviews one of the most essential elements of e-commerce. But how important customer reviews are to the customers themselves? Here are some points that make customer reviews essential to consumers.
People rely on them
Customer reviews are helpful for people who want to know how a potential purchase performs. They can tell the quality of any brand consumers may come across on e-commerce platforms. And surprisingly, a lot of these customer reviews are believable. Some people can even attest to an online review they’ve read. According to research, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. That says so much about how much people heavily rely on these reviews.
That can actually influence their buying decisions. This is why you cannot ignore this element of e-commerce. It’s where people get impressions of the items they’re deciding to buy. Some reviews may not be reliable at all. But there’s one thing business owners should take note of. Regardless of whether customer reviews are reliable or not, people are still going to consider them before buying something.
Can contain the brand information
There are times information about an item you want to buy is vague. It may be because of the listing, or the item description is just too hard to understand. This is when customers turn to read customer reviews. That’s because they may see pertinent item information written on them. They may be more understandable than the information written by the seller itself. But as a business owner, you should reduce the chances of making clients rely on customer reviews for item descriptions. They may not be accurate and you don’t want your brand misrepresented.
To prevent this from happening, make sure that your item descriptions are up to date and accurate. They should also be easy to understand too. You may want to work with a platform that calibrates product experience. This way, all information about the items you offer is accurate and up-to-date in all e-commerce platforms they are featured on.
They can have photos
You know what photos can do when it comes to reviews. They do make so much of a difference. This is why some people go straight to customer reviews to see what an item would look like when purchased. Photos taken by buyers and not the sellers can be a better representation of an item. That makes them more reliable than those taken professionally by photographers. Visual representations are important when it comes to e-commerce platforms. With them, you can give customers a glimpse of the real quality of an item they would want to buy from you. If those pictures come from customer reviews, chances are people will look at them as more realistic.
Business owners can respond to them
Online marketing company BrightLocal cited a survey that says almost 90% of people would likely patronize a business that responds to customer reviews. That’s one important part of customer reviews. It gives sellers the ability to respond to their customers’ feedback. These responses can then be seen by potential customers. This may affect customers purchasing decisions depending on how sellers respond to the feedback. It can also be a place where sellers can redeem their reputation. That’s needed especially if they received negative reviews from customers.
Negative feedback can improve your business
Customer feedback is important regardless of whether it’s positive or not. Negative reviews can give you aspects to improve on your business. Areas for opportunity should always be treasured because you’ll never know what your business might not be doing good at. So it doesn’t matter if feedback is negative. That’s because these types of reviews can still be as helpful as the positive ones.
Customer reviews aren’t just there on e-commerce platforms to be looked at. They play a big part in influencing purchasing decisions. Their importance is evident and you should take advantage of them if you’re a business owner.
