Customer opinions: the importance of reviews

Online reviews about products or services have become the real ‘word of mouth’ of the 21st century. There are an increasing number of people that head to websites or forums to compare products or to find out how they have worked for other users before making a decision to purchase or not.

When we shop on the internet, we can feel a sense of distrust when we can't see or touch what we are buying. Looking for reviews of the product or service helps us to clear up these doubts and make comparisons. This evolution of online shopping slows down the process compared to physical shopping, but offers consumers much more confidence since it isn’t just the brand that talks about the product, other users, real people, share their experiences.

These reviews or ratings are taken into account by search engines when it comes to displaying results, so a brand or service will have a better positioning in searches and, therefore be more accessible to users if it has a good volume of reviews.

What are customer reviews used for?

• When entering a new online store, users want to have references, not just of the product, but also of the place they are buying from: delivery type and times, returns times and system, or reliability of the service are the most frequently asked questions.
• One opinion isn’t the same as a thousand. The volume of comments, in other words, the number of product reviews also offers customers increased confidence. This point is valued particularly highly on mass shopping websites.
• Not all opinions are equal. Reviews with detailed, varied information are highly valued, and they add even more value if they are accompanied by photos or videos. In fact, many brands already differentiate verified reviews, comments from people that have bought or enjoyed the product, from those that don’t provide real evidence of having made a purchase.

• Negative reviews or votes also offer information about the service and show the company's reaction to incidents. Not offering responses or deleting negative comments is perceived in a doubly negative way. In addition, it is an excellent test of the service so the service or products can be tailored to the real needs of customers.
• The sectors with the highest number of reviews are hospitality and tourism; household appliances; different repair services, garages in particular, and health and beauty products. However, there are an increasing number of companies asking for their customer’s opinions at different points in the process: purchase, distribution, payment method, customer service or after-sales service, in order to sort out any issues that may arise.