When it comes to purchasing decisions, the recommendation of a trusted colleague goes a long way toward closing the sale. The rise of social media on the Web has opened up an easy-access forum for industry-specific reviews. The Forrester Study published by American Business Media reports that business decision makers rely most heavily on the reviews of their peers along with vendor’s websites for the information they need to make purchasing decisions.
Consumer reliance on online reviews is nothing new. Opinion Research Corporation achieved similar results in a survey the company conducted last year. Nearly two-thirds of respondents reported consulting online reviews, blogs and other sources of online customer feedback before purchasing a new product or service. Eighty-three percent of consumers polled indicated that online product evaluations and reviews had at least some level of influence on their purchasing decisions.
The survey narrowed in on three critical stages in the purchase decision-making process at which respondents turned to online product or service reviews: when they begin their shopping research, when they are trying to decide between two or three products or services, and at the narrowing down stage to confirm that they are buying the right product or service.
Still not convinced? Check out Jennifer Laycock’s article at Search Engine Guide.
ports upward of 70% of physicians are now online daily. Nearly 40% of respondents reported using the internet for clinical information 2-4 times per day, and another 20% log on 5 or more times each day. For 76% of the physicians surveyed by Epocrates, the number of hours spent online has increased over last year.