How important online reviews are for the purchase decision
Online reviews are important to customers—especially younger target groups. The top industries where reviews are taken most seriously are travel, dining, and technology. However, only three out of ten respondents actually trust online reviews, according to Marketagent.com.
Product and provider reviews on the internet can be a divisive issue. On the one hand, they are part of a feedback culture that can provide consumers with guidance in the online jungle. On the other hand, there is a risk of bought fake reputation through manipulated reviews. A recent survey of 1,019 respondents by the digital market and opinion research institute Marketagent Switzerland shows the extent to which the Swiss allow themselves to be influenced by online reviews in their decision-making and purchasing behavior.
Almost five out of ten respondents to the Market Agent survey state that online reviews are very or somewhat important to them. A deeper look at the age structure reveals a clear generational trend: for Generation Z digital natives (60%) and millennials (58%), the use of online reviews is much more of a matter of course than for Generation X (42%) and baby boomers in particular (27%).
Differences in the product categories
However, the relevance of reviews also differs greatly between different product categories: For vacations (62%), gastronomy and technology (55% each), online reviews are the most important for consumers.
The fact that trust in online reviews is limited is hardly surprising given the increasing prevalence of fake reviews. 52% of respondents state that they have noticed fake reviews at some point, and 36% have done so several times. The proportion of fake reviews is also estimated to be relatively high at 36%. While almost one in three Gen Z respondents are confident that they can identify a fake review, this confidence drops to 13% among Baby Boomers, which also explains this generation's generally lower level of trust in online reviews.
When recognizing fake reviews, respondents mainly rely on textual clues. (Almost) half of those surveyed have doubts if there are several reviews with the same wording, the reviews are overly positive or sound more like an advertising text.
The behavior of companies, i.e. the extent to which they respond to praise or criticism, is also very important for 51% of respondents. With regard to the tone of the reviews, Swiss consumers take a holistic view. 63% read roughly the same number of positive and negative reviews. The extent to which the latter can have an impact on purchasing decisions should not be ignored: The clear majority of respondents - 83 percent to be precise - report that they have already refrained from making a purchase, booking, etc. due to a bad review. have refrained from making a purchase, booking, etc. due to a bad review. It should be at least four stars for a product or company to be considered. For the majority of respondents (55%), the reviews should not be older than six months to one year.
