62% of US Internet Users Read Online Reviews
Posted by Sebastien on the 2007/10/12 at 12:13
in Trends, User Reviews, User-generated content, word-of-mouth -
Continuing in the same vein as yesterday, eMarketer presents the results of a Deloitte survey that shows that 62% of US internet users read online reviews.
Other highlights:
- “Virtually all shoppers now find them credible” (99%)
- “More than eight in 10 (82 percent) say their purchase decisions have been directly influenced by the reviews, either influencing them to buy a different product than the one they had originally been thinking about purchasing or confirming the original purchase intention.”
- “While the percentages were slightly higher for the younger generations, all age groups are reading and acting on online reviews at significant rates.”
- “The reach of consumer reviews isn’t limited to the online world; seven in 10 (69 percent) consumers who read reviews share them with friends, family or colleagues, thus amplifying their impact.”
- “Deloitte conducted a separate study in August with Sterling Commerce and found that 42% of US online shoppers thought that featuring consumer reviews on Web sites increased consumer trust in the sites—and presumably the products therein.”
What it means: we’ve known for a while now that online word of mouth plays a major role in product/service buying decisions but I like the added data of age groups bein