Thursday 27 June 2013

Customer Review Sites Offer Many Benefits

By Stacey Massey


Customer review sites are similar to information directories that allow consumers to go online and state their opinions about many different things. Customers may want to give their opinions of a particular service offered by a local business, a product they purchased at a bricks and mortar establishment or online, or even a book they read. Such reviews can help or hurt a company, depending on how many other consumers view them and the information they contain.

Before the Internet was invented, there were only a handful of publications one could read to find information about specific services and products. However, such information was frequently limited only to mainstream items that were popular at the time. However, because such information is now easily accessible online, one can easily find reviews on essentially any service or product in existence.

Many consumers will not buy any kind of service or product unless they first review customer ratings on the item. This is due to the fact that in today's modern world, most individuals now realize that manufacturers do not provide unbiased opinions of their own products, as their goal is to make money. However, other customers are usually more than willing to share their experiences with prospective consumers.

Many people are not impressed with ads on television unless they can go online and read the experiences of those who have actually used the advertised product. In numerous instances, such reviews either encourage the person to purchase the product or ignore ads for it in the future. Although even high-quality products receive negative reviews now and then, most of the information about the product should be positive if the manufacturer's claims are true.

With positive consumer reviews a business may experience an increase in sales and revenue. However, the loss of money is also possible if the product or service offered by the company consistently receives poor reviews. For this reason, more and more companies are logging on to customer review sites to determine whether or not their goods and services are being viewed in an overall positive light by most consumers.

Websites of this kind are usually not affiliated with a particular product or service. This is because they view customers around the world as their clients, and strive to provide unbiased information. If such a site is owned by a specific company, reviews of a positive nature are likely the only ones that will be posted.

It is important to understand that testimonials and customer reviews are not the same thing. Unbiased consumer reviews are not written by individuals who are hired to promote products, but rather by real consumers who have had personal experiences with a particular product. On the other hand, testimonials posted on the business owner's website are not typically written by real customers, and therefore usually only contain positive information.

Customer review sites offer invaluable information for both business owners and consumers. Those who are thinking of purchasing a new product that they have never used before should read a minimum of five to ten reviews prior to finalizing a transaction. Essentially anyone will find this activity advantageous.




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