One of our valued clients just reached a landmark 1,000 reviews on Trip Advisor for his RV Park. With more than a 4.5 out of a 5 ranking, it appears visitors love the park. It got us to thinking…how important are online reviews to a business, anyway?
Here are some eye-opening stats:
- Before visiting a business, 90% of consumers read online reviews.
- 88% of consumers believe in reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- When patronizing a business with excellent reviews, customers are likely to spend 31% more money.
- If a local business has at least a 4-star rating, 92% will use that business.
- 72% of consumers will take some kind of action only after reading a positive review.
- 86% will balk at purchasing from a business with negative online reviews and one negative review can lose 30 potential customers.
- To drive consumers to buy from a local business needs to project reliability, expertise and professionalism.
Ways to Handle Negative Reviews
- Admit your mistakes
- Take it offline
- Provide restitution if that’s what it will take to fix the situation
- Understand how rating and review sites work
- Respond promptly to any negative reviews
Reviews can really help or really hurt businesses. It is best to remain fully aware of the impact of them to your enterprise.