By Tom Polanski, EVP, eBrand Media and eBrand Interactive
Nielsen Online, studying the holiday mindset of the U.S. online shopper, found that customer reviews are an important research tool for online consumers, with 71 percent agreeing that consumer reviews make them more comfortable that they are buying the right product. 81 percent of online shoppers have read product or retailer reviews by other customers when doing their holiday shopping this year.
Evaluation of this customer feedback found that 63 percent of online shoppers indicated that it was important to have multiple reviews for each product; 14 percent looked for reviews from an established source; and just three percent sought out reviews by people they knew personally.
Ken Cassar, vice president, industry insights, Nielsen Online, said “Consumer reviews are a must-have for online retailers, especially… when shoppers are buying for others in categories they’re less familiar with… consumers are looking for outside feedback for guidance.”
24 percent of online shoppers spent more than $500 this past holiday season, with 22 percent spending between $100-199 online. The 24/7 shopping convenience of the Web was the reason cited most frequently by respondents (78 percent) for shopping online.
55 percent of respondents indicated that they logged onto the Web site of a local brick and mortar retailer before visiting the physical store. The primary reason for going online first was comparing prices between retailers, followed by checking if an item was in stock and looking for sales in stores.
Cassar continued, “… retailers should consider the online contribution to store sales, in addition to online sales, when evaluating how well the season went.”
62 percent of respondents said that the most popular reason to shop at a particular online retailer was having made a purchase there in the past. Search engines were the second most popular way to find an online retailer, followed by offline catalogs. These results underscore the importance to consumers of solid, longstanding relationships with retailers they trust, says the report.