Businesses Benefit From Reviews On Their Website

November 19, 2009 · Print this article, Visited 155 times, 1 so far today

Small businesses that features reviews on their website are seeing significant returns, according to a new survey from RatePoint.

Among the 30 percent of small business retailers who had product reviews on their websites, 43 percent said reviews had led to more sales, while 28 percent indicated they had resulted in more traffic.

"Reviews help small business owners learn more about how customers use their products, find latent issues with their site or shopping process they hadn't yet discovered and most importantly, find satisfied customers whose positive feedback will build trust with potential customers," said Neal Creighton, CEO of RatePoint.

"Missing out on all of the information and opportunities that reviews provide is something that small businesses simply can't afford to do."

Some small business owners have the perception that reviews can be damaging to a brand, but data has shown that reviews are much more likely to impact a business positively than negatively. RatePoint survey data released in July found reviews were six times more likely to impact a business positively.

Research from Deloitte & Touche, found more than 82 percent of those who read reviews said their purchasing decisions have been directly influenced by those reviews. In addition, 69 percent of consumers who read reviews share them with friends, and family.

"Research clearly shows that peer reviews increase consumer trust when shopping online," said Creighton.

"Small businesses who have implemented reviews on their site are uniquely positioned to stand apart this holiday season as shoppers look to transact with sites and brands they can trust."

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