Customer ratings and reviews have long been a part of the buying process for many consumers. Three recent changes indicate that their influence is growing considerably:
1. More Time Reading. According to a recent study by The E-Tailing Group, 64% of consumers take 10 minutes or more to read reviews, up 28% from three years ago.
2. Shared on Social Media. Companies that provide ratings and review software are now making it easy for reviewers to automatically post their reviews on Facebook in addition to the merchant’s website.
3. In Search Results. Customer ratings and reviews have started appearing in Google and Bing search results.
Clearly, rating and reviews are becoming more important every day. Between search results and social media, they’re reaching a much wider audience than ever before. If you don’t alreay have an active ratings and review system on your website, it’s time to get started.
