Top factors compelling consumers to purchase from a company ranked by the rate of incidence of inclusion in consumers’ top three choices.
Source: Trustpilot-Canvas8 (2020)
Against the backdrop of a decline in trust toward brands and the media, the study found that 48% of U.S. consumers are relying more heavily on reviews today than they were two years ago. According to the report, 89% of consumers globally (and 90% in the U.S.) check reviews online before making purchases.
Perception of companies generating fake reviews. However, nearly half (49%) of consumers also “believe that ‘too many companies’ are creating fake reviews online.” Those consumers worry fake reviews “will lead them to waste money on poor products and services” — hence the $125 figure.
Perhaps the most interesting set of findings involve reactions to 5-star rated businesses. These respondents dismiss 5-star reviews as the likely product of manipulation. Indeed, they’re now less inclined to trust 5-star reviews unless bolstered by negative or partly critical reviews.
A slight majority (55%) of survey respondents said they “would prefer to buy a product with a large number of reviews and an average rating over a product with a small number and excellent rating.” Accordingly, 56% of respondents said they would “consider a 5-star rated product or service, but do more research before committing” and 16% simply believe 5-star ratings are fake.
Five-star reviews less credible. That’s a total of 72% who believe that 5-star ratings are not entirely credible or not credible at all. A separate study from BrightLocal, released in December, found a majority of people (70%) consulted multiple review sites as a way to prevent being deceived by fake reviews.
Finally, 67% of respondents in the Trustpilot survey said that they would rather buy from a company “that seems to have made a small mistake and responded quickly” rather than one that has “never made a mistake.”
Why we care. Most businesses (especially small businesses) seek five-star reviews and want to marginalize or purge unflattering reviews. This data and many other such surveys make clear that’s a mistake. Consumers want to see some mixed reviews to ensure that they’re not being manipulated by fake reviews. The lessons here for marketers are: 1) welcome critical reviews 2) address them in a sincere and not perfunctory way 3) make sure to focus on multiple, relevant review sites as consumers seek validation to protect themselves against fraud.
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