War of the stars

Online reviews are no longer just commonplace in e-commerce. More and more industries have recognized the trend towards active review marketing and are therefore relying on customer feedback. Before buying a product or using a service, the majority of consumers now look online to find out about the experiences of other customers.

Remo Fyda, founder and CEO of Provenexpert.com, takes a closer look at four trends that will play a role in review marketing in the coming year.

1. future potential for many industries

According to a recent Study the most frequently rated areas are online retail and the topics of vacations, travel and accommodation. It is also clear that online reviews are playing an increasingly important role in everyday life and are being used by more and more consumers as a source of information. This is not surprising, as honest customer feedback is more credible than information that providers provide about themselves. It is true that customer reviews have not yet become fully established in all sectors. However, a large proportion of those surveyed stated that they wanted to increasingly rate services other than the usual ones. Craftsmen, supermarkets and local public transport are at the forefront of this trend.

2. more transparency improves the offers

Hand on heart - the core of successful reputation management is still the provider's product or service. Because only those who offer really good services will be able to collect positive references in the long term and assert themselves on the market. Figures already show that online reviews are becoming increasingly relevant in everyday life. The trend is increasingly moving towards a feedback culture in which feedback is continuously given online, whether via the Like button or with a detailed product review. This inevitably has an impact on the product range: a Quarter of respondents are already convinced that online reviews will lead to increasing transparency for consumers. A third believe in the continuous improvement of products or services based on customer feedback. Although companies often still fear negative criticism, they have recognized this trend and know that transparency and quality improvement are becoming increasingly important to consumers.

3. digital natives can only be reached on the Internet

Targeted questions are needed in a customer survey to highlight where exactly there is potential for improvement and what the quality of a product or service is like. Obtaining customer feedback in writing or by telephone is no longer appropriate in many cases, as many consumers obtain information about products or services online. In addition, the automated evaluation of reviews in real time is becoming increasingly important. No customer wants to be handed a piece of paper after a purchase asking for feedback, perhaps even in the presence of the salesperson. Suppliers should therefore make it as easy as possible for their customers to submit reviews by seeking contact digitally in line with the transaction, for example with the help of links in emails, via QR codes on business cards or directly at the point of sale (e.g. on a tablet). Younger consumers in particular can be motivated to submit reviews much more easily in these ways than with the help of "traditional" media.

4. valuation aggregation becomes more important

In view of the abundance of online review portals, platforms and services are becoming increasingly popular that make it easier for both providers and consumers to have an immediate overview of submitted reviews by bundling them on a central profile. This allows providers to keep an eye on their online reputation at all times. Consumers, in turn, can get a comprehensive picture of providers more quickly if all the feedback is collected in one place.