During a recent webinar, LSA’s Greg Sterling and SOCi’s Monica Ho discussed the results of two parallel surveys conducted by both companies, one of online US adults and the other of local business owners and decision makers. The studies aimed to answer the following questions and “bridge the online gap” between business understanding and consumer expectations:
- How important are reviews/ratings vs. other types of information in the consumer purchase process?
- How much emphasis do businesses place on their own online reputations?
- Is there a gap between consumer behavior and business understanding reputation management?
Both surveys revealed a tremendous amount of information. Here are a few highlights from each.
The Consumer Survey
- Ratings/reviews are the #1 influence on consumer purchases.
- 71% of consumers read reviews before every/almost every purchase.
- 54% of consumers want to see at least 4 stars to consider a business.
- The most common online review sight consulted by consumers is Google (76%).
The Business Survey
- Many businesses understand online reputation importance but not the degree.
- A significant percentage of businesses are not meeting consumer expectations (review response).
- 50% of small businesses have no reviews strategy.
- The most important site for social success is Facebook (34.7%).
You can view the recording of the webinar below:
For more info about LSA’s webinar series, visit: https://bit.ly/LSAwebinars.
