How much weight do product reviews carry with consumers during the consideration stage of purchase? New research from online reputation management firm NetReputation.com finds that one-star, low and negative reviews of businesses and services on the Internet are likely to impact consumer buying decision making.
The firm’s latest survey, conducted by The Harris Poll among over 2,000 US adults, shows that negative reviews—and specifically one-star reviews—all now readily available on the Internet, could play a substantial role in purchasing decisions.
According to the survey, more than 3 in 4 Americans (76 percent) say they would not be likely to purchase a product or use a service with a one-star or less online review rating. And less than one-quarter of Americans (24 percent) indicate they would be likely to purchase a product or use a service with a one-star or less online review rating, suggesting most consumers would not use products and services with low online ratings.
“These results emphasize the importance for businesses in every sector of the economy to manage online reviews and reputations and ensure their customers, vendors, and clients post as many positive online reviews as possible,” said Adam Petrilli, NetReputation.com CEO and founder, in a news release.
The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Netreputation.com from March 3-7, 2022 among 2,073 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.
