What do consumers do after reading positive reviews?

According to North American studies, 90% of consumers used the Internet to find a local business in the last year. Did you know, for example, that an average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a company or that the consumer spends 13 minutes and 45 seconds on average reading reviews before making a decision?

Online reviews have become an increasingly common part of consumer purchasing decisions. According to the Local Consumer Review Survey 2019, consumers have a pattern of action after reading positive reviews. They visit the company’s website first, then they look for more reviews or comments. Later they analyze the competition and finally contact the company.

According to this study, the websites of local companies continue to be a fundamental part in the process of attracting potential customers as 92% of consumers consult the websites of companies when deciding on a service or product. On the other hand, for 27% of consumers, positive reviews are enough to lead them to contact a company, either in person, by phone or directly through other means such as social networks.

In fact, most consumers will have made a decision about a provider long before contacting you, so its reputation on review sites needs not to put off any potential customers.

How long do users read reviews before making a decision?

According to the aforementioned study, 93% of consumers spend more than a minute reading reviews. 43% take more than 10 minutes. A minority of 10% spend more than 30 minutes. The average consumer said they spent 13 minutes and 45 seconds reading reviews before making a decision. Consumers 55 and older spend nearly 10 minutes reading reviews, while those ages 18-34 spend nearly twice as long.

Without a doubt, each consumer is different, what is certain is that consumers or potential clients like to research local businesses before making their purchase decision. In fact, consumers have developed skills to avoid reading in-depth reviews by targeting keywords, so having an online reputation management strategy is essential.

Continuing with this study, 20% of people between 18 and 34 spend more than 30 minutes reading reviews. For consumers ages 35 to 54, this represents 10% and 3% of those 55 and older. This means that younger consumers rely on multiple reviews before choosing a product or service. Therefore, the importance of every company having a constant flow of positive reviews, especially if its target is precisely this demographic.

How do reviews influence consumers?

91% of consumers say that positive reviews make them more likely to use a business. However, the notion of what makes a review positive is subjective, as some consumers may view different star ratings as positive or not. Therefore, companies must ensure that the criticism they receive is widely positive. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they should only target satisfied customers or fake reviews to appear better than they are. It’s about really taking customer feedback into account and using it to improve the service they provide.

Finally, negative comments have a strong impact on the customer’s final decision, as 82% of consumers are less likely to use a business after seeing negative reviews. No service or product is exempt from negative reviews, if it happens to you, what you should do is respond quickly and give the customer all the help possible to find a solution. A bad review doesn’t have to be a disaster. You have doubts? Visit thebusiness.reviews and find out how we can improve the reputation of your company, property or service.