When it comes to time to make a buying decision, 90 percent of customers say they take the advice of their fellow shoppers.
A survey of 1,046 U.S. consumers conducted revealed that not only are 90% of buyers influenced by positive online reviews, 86% say their purchasing decisions are influenced by negative online reviews, reports Marketing Land.
The consumers surveyed were U.S. residents and all had experienced a customer-service issue with a midsize business, either retail or B2B, in the recent past. About two-thirds of those who responded said they read online reviews. The poll also revealed that Facebook is the leading source of positive reviews, while most negative reviews were found at online review sites.
About 58% of customers said they were likely to share a negative customer-service issue online, and the preferred channel for airing complaints is social media. When segmented, 100 percent of those respondents who earned $150,000 a year or more said they broadcast a negative interaction online.
Brands that don’t respond to customer service issues via social-media platforms can get pilloried by influential consumers who use their networks to air complaints. Zappos is an excellent example of a brand that’s responsive and sensitive to complaints broadcast via social channels, specifically Twitter.
A dedicated team of customer service reps works a Twitter account that monitors and responds to any and all service-related tweets—positive and negative—promptly. One Twitter user tweeted about the death of a relative, mentioning that a Zappos customer-service issue came up during that time. The company responded by sending her flowers—and resolving her issue.
Social commerce extends far beyond buying and selling. Increasingly, brands that are able to create personalized connections using aggressive, comprehensive and responsive social strategies to deal with consumer interactions will win big.
