Let’s say you wanted to try out a new local restaurant. You find their website and see that their location is near you—how convenient! You take a look at their menu, and everything sounds absolutely delicious. You see some photos of both the interior and exterior of the restaurant—it looks clean and attractive. But then you take a look at their online reviews and see that with over 100 reviews, they average a 1-star rating. Many reviewers comment on the poor service they received, the unappealing environment, and the disgusting food. Would you go to that restaurant? It’s highly unlikely.
The same goes for your type of business—and most businesses in this day and age. A new report found that consumers are reading reviews more than ever before. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, life has been full of more uncertainty than ever before. In general terms, consumers trust real people more and big organizations less. This means that great online marketing for your business probably will not be enough to capture all of the new customers you want. You also need to harness the power of reviews.
Positive reviews have moved from “nice to have” to “essential” for your business’s success. Here are a few quick, important statistics to be aware of when it comes to how consumers use reviews:
- 88 percent of consumers say reviews play a role in discovering local businesses.
- 31 percent of consumers say they are more likely to look at a local business’s Google listing before visiting it than they were pre-COVID.
- 58 percent of consumers say they are willing to travel farther to visit a business with higher reviews, and 47 percent say they are willing to pay more to patronize a business with higher reviews.
- 92 percent of consumers say they will not consider buying from a business with a 1- or 2-star rating.
The report also delved into how businesses can acquire new reviews, how to make sure those reviews are positive, and how to change a consumer’s mind if any reviews are negative. Consumers reported that having a positive experience with employees was the leading motivation to leave a positive review. According to the report, only 24 percent of businesses respond to negative reviews all the time, yet 56 percent of consumers say a business’s response has changed their perspective on the business.
It is apparent that online reviews are a necessity in today’s business world, and having positive reviews that are both recent and relevant are crucial to attracting new customers. However, consumers report that they are much more likely to consume reviews than to create them. To ensure that your business receives the positive reviews it deserves, you need to be proactive about gathering reviews. An automated review system can help encourage satisfied customers to leave a positive review for your business, which can, in turn, help attract new customers.
To learn more about how you can use a review system to take advantage of the power of reviews, or if you want more information on how to be proactive in both capturing and responding to customer reviews, we invite you to contact us at AudiologyPlus today.
