With the rise of online shopping thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s plain to see just how important it is for consumers to trust where they are buying from. The current state of the world has placed less of a reliance on viewing and testing products in store. With this comes an inherent risk to consumers, and many questions, including:
- How can I trust that I am buying a good product from a reputable source?
- How can I hold a company accountable for a bad experience?
- How can I let others know about a company, whether it’s good or bad?
As a consumer in today’s world, one of the main avenues of trust is through product reviews. When transparent and accurate, customer reviews can give you deeper insight into how a product works, its benefits, and any drawbacks that might be apparent.
This article will cover why reviews are important, and examine some of the most popular review platforms online today. We will also take a look at some of Factory Buys reviews – an Australian company that sells quality, low-cost products.
Why are reviews important?
Product reviews, in essence, can be opinions or feedback from customers related to a particular product. Most e-commerce products and platforms have some sort of avenue for customers to offer reviews, allowing other customers to read them and make up their own minds.
In the end, reviews are directly from the mouths of consumers. They lack puffery and pretence, giving an honest, and sometimes brutal look into how well a product works. Many consumers want to go straight to the source of reviews before making a purchase decision. There are several reasons why consumers trust reviews over marketing campaigns.
1. Trust
Product reviews are one of the first places that customers will land when looking for information about your product. For example, Factory Buys features a Trustpilot review feed just below the purchasing field on every product page.
2. Insight
Product reviews can provide better insight into how a product is used, and whether or not it reaches customer expectations. These reviews cut through marketing jargon and apply the product to use in real life.
3. Issues
Customers are great at leaving honest feedback about potential product defects. This allows you as a consumer to weed through potential issues and make your own decision about the suitability of a product. Reviews often allow manufacturers or sellers to respond to these issues.
4. Marketing
Like movie reviews, customer reviews online speak volumes about products or services. These testimonials can be used as ongoing marketing collateral across websites, TV, radio, and other media.
5. Conversions
Good reviews lead to better conversions. Even just one positive review can build trust enough to show a bump in conversion rate. A flawless 5-star rating across hundreds of reviews can look suspicious, so it’s important to embrace negative reviews as well.
6. Returns
For many sellers, returns can mean a costly process. Online customer reviews can help prevent returns by giving a transparent look into any potential defects. Other customers can see these defects in real-time, and see how the company responds to the claims.
Review platforms
There are so many sources of reviews out there for all different kinds of products. As a consumer, it’s important to know exactly what to trust and what to be suspicious of. In this article, we will take a look at some popular review platforms, including:
- Trust Pilot.
- Google reviews.
- Konji.
We’ll take a look at some of these in greater detail below.
Trust pilot
Trustpilot is one of the main sources of customer reviews online. It allows businesses to interact with their customers on the basis of transparency. Here, reviewers can leave a score out of 5 stars, ranging from Bad to Excellent.
Factory Buys’ reviews on Trustpilot are outstanding. With over 72 per cent of reviews scoring as ‘Excellent’, or 5 stars, you can see just how useful the platform is for Factory Buys. Not only are the reviews of products great – people are actually returning to review the great customer service that Factory Buys offers.
Google reviews
As one of the most well-publicised review platforms online, Google reviews and ratings are often the first things that many people visit when considering a product for purchase. The platform allows businesses to readily respond to comments, by thanking customers for positive reviews and addressing problems raised in negative ones.
You can see the benefits of Google reviews by looking at Factory Buys’ reviews on Google. Here, the customer service team is able to reach out to customers who have experienced problems with orders and get them rectified as soon as possible.
Konji
Konji is a smaller review site that operates similar to Trustpilot. The difference is that it offers an aggregate of customer reviews, highlighting the strengths of the business compared to other players in the market. This allows customers to get a clear understanding of the business before they proceed.
Factory Buys reviews on Konji are beneficial for customers and the business itself. The brand scores highly on popularity, customer service, and interface usability. Customers can also access up to 40 discount codes that have been added to the platform.
The final word
Customer reviews are beneficial not just for new and existing customers, but for businesses as well. Trust is a two-way street. Customers want to trust that they are receiving a fair product, while businesses trust that they will get a fair review. This keeps the review cycle in balance and gives greater transparency across the board.
Without transparent customer reviews, businesses like Factory Buys might struggle with transparency. When you sell products for a price lower than that of the market, questions will be raised about their quality. By interacting with customers across several touchpoints of reviews, businesses like Factory Buys can improve trust, address problems, and extoll their own virtues and unique selling propositions.
