Online reviews can be great marketing tools to help customers with their purchasing decisions. Often, however, an important element is missing: the ability to touch, see, or hear the item when you are in the store.
In this article, Scandit explains why retailers should make product reviews and information easily accessible on smart devices, and how to do it.Â
79% of customers say reviews are as important as advice from friends
Customers consider suggestions from friends more important than any marketing campaign. Reviews from a customer or an authoritative source rank second in importance.
What retailers can do is ensure that the review is authentic and objective. If it were overly positive and enthusiastic, it might not be credible.
In the US, 93% of customers read online reviews before buying a product
In a 2019 American study, 61% of online consumers stated that reviews were very important. In 2021, 93% of customers stated they read online reviews before buying a product. 94% of purchases are for products with a rating of at least 4 stars or higher. What retailers can do is make reviews easily readable (perhaps by adding stars or some summary bullet points) and accessible.
Customers who say they want to buy from a brand they trust increased from 71% to 76% between 2019 and 2021
Trust is fundamental for consumers. When a customer shops online, the first thing they look at are the product specifications and then the reviews.
What retailers can do is show balanced reviews: one or two slightly negative reviews can actually strengthen trust if the feedback is constructive. Furthermore, it’s important to avoid any appearance that the brand paid for the review.Â
Customers spend over 15 hours a week researching products on their smartphones
Customers are accustomed to using their smartphones to view product reviews and information. They do this while enjoying their morning coffee in the kitchen or while commuting on a train or subway.
This familiarity with reviews is why retailers should make product reviews easily accessible in-store.
What retailers can do is leverage the product’s barcode and use Smart Data Capture technology to interact with the customer’s smartphone; pair this service with their mobile shopping app (e.g., Scan & Go); and place signage around the store to inform consumers that they can check product information and reviews via the app.
93% of people who use a smartphone to search for information complete the purchase of the product or service
Features? Size? Performance? There are many reasons why customers delay purchasing products. They often want to buy but want to resolve any doubts before doing so.
Providing easy access to reviews can help overcome customer hesitation at the most crucial moment: when they are close to the product and the checkout.
Pubblicato in Digital Marketing
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