This year, consumers will check online reviews before checking out [stats]

the power of online reviews this holiday season

With the holiday shopping season in full gear, new research from Influence Central reveals the dramatic impact online reviews now have on consumers.

Fully 85 percent of women consumers say they consider these e-commerce reviews extremely/very important when making a purchase, and savvy shoppers use them to ensure quality, to gather more insights when deciding between similar products, and to get the best deal.

Stacy DeBroff, Founder and CEO of Influence Central notes that reviews have a dramatic impact on consumers’ purchasing journey with more than 90 percent of consumers saying that an online review is more important than input from a salesperson.

“Moreover, after reading an online review and deciding to make a purchase, nearly 80 percent of consumers buy the product online,” said DeBroff.

Six findings that highlight modern consumer habits

Influence Central unveiled the following six facts:

1. 88 percent of consumers consider online reviews very influential when purchasing a new product from a brand with which they’re not familiar.
2. Even when purchasing a new product from a brand they already know, 67 percent of women consumers still consider online reviews very influential.
3. The top online site for checking reviews? Amazon, on which 90 percent of consumers consider online reviews determinative.
4. For the 43 percent of consumers who check online reviews for items they’ve purchased before, they do so to see if others have had a similar experience and also to see if there is a better product option.
5. Moreover, consumers consider themselves savvy discerners of reviews, with 97 percent saying they can tell almost all of the time the credibility of a posted review.
6. Three key determinates of trust for an online review: how much the person sounds like me, amount of detail in the review, and noted as a verified purchaser.

Brands must take note of the increasingly important role of online reviews when making purchase decisions – shoppers are getting savvy, and the tides are changing. Companies that understand these new truths will be at a major advantage.