New research underpins the value of free customer reviews

The eighth annual Local Consumer Review Survey has been released this week with some interesting findings for all business owners. Conducted by BrightLocal, the survey focuses on consumer attitudes to online reviews and it sheds some interesting light on the importance of reviews going into 2019. The findings are a must read, especially if your business website is an ecommerce design.Here, we’ve summarised the key data and conclusions to help you stay on track for success in the New Year.

1. Reviews are now more important than ever If you were in any doubt as to how important reviews actually are, the 2018 Local Consumer Review Survey has a definitive answer with the finding that 91% of consumers now trust online reviews as much as they do a personal recommendation from someone they know. 2. More and more consumers only read reviews less than two weeks old We know that reviews are important, but did you know that keeping reviews fresh is really important? An average of 40% of consumers will only read reviews that are less than two weeks old. This proportion increases to a huge 64% for those in the 18-34 year old age bracket – so if your web site is targeted at Millennials or Generation Z shoppers, you’ll need to have a very strong review acquisition process with a steady influx of new reviews daily. 3. Most consumers disregard reviews older than three months While the younger demographic often won’t read reviews that are more than two weeks old, a massive 84% of consumers disregard reviews older than three months entirely. With old reviews just not being considered relevant any more, it’s crucial to stay on top of new reviews and continue to prompt customers to leave feedback following each purchase. 4. Consumers read a lot of reviews before trusting you The survey determined that the average consumer will read 10 online reviews before feeling that they can trust your business and over half (57%) will only do business with you if you have a minimum of a four-star rating. 5. Shoppers monitor your responses It’s not just important to have a steady stream of new reviews, of four-star ratings or higher – 89% of consumers also read your responses to the reviews you receive. The speed you respond to reviews has been recognised as an SEO ranking factor for a while now but, shopper consideration of your responses makes this of even higher importance.