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Customer Reviews & Informational Websites
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Jan 15, 2009 by Mark MaierJust how important are opinions of other consumers to the shopping and purchase cycle experience? Looks like they are becoming more critical according to a new Nielson Study......"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. "
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Important Factors in Evaluating Customer Reviews | |
|
Factor |
% of Respondents |
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The product has multiple ratings or reviews |
63% |
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The rating or review comes from an established source |
14 |
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The rating or review comes from someone I know |
3 |
|
Other |
2 |
|
Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008 | |
"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...."
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Top 5 Reasons Consumers Visit Retailer Web Site before Visiting Store | |
|
Reason |
% of Respondents |
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Wanted to compare prices between different retailers whose stores I might shop |
33% |
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Wanted to see if the product I was looking for was in stock |
28 |
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Wanted to find sales in the store |
26 |
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Wanted to come up with holiday gift ideas before I went shopping |
22 |
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I ordered online for in-store pickup |
12 |
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Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008 | |
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Top 5 Reasons to Shop at a Particular Web Site | |
|
Reason |
% of Respondents |
|
I went to the retailer I have purchased from in the past |
62% |
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I found the retailer through search engines |
38 |
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I received a catalog in the mail from the retailer |
31 |
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I came across an email promotion from the retailer |
25 |
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I subscribe to e-newsletters from retailers |
25 |
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Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008 | |
