Recent studies by Nielsen Online, Harris Interactive, Yahoo Small Business and others have made this crystal clear: Most online buyers check, and are influenced by web-based customer reviews. Findings vary a bit, but some 90 percent of online buyers say they read customer reviews at least “some of the time” when they are available, and 71 percent agree that customer reviews offer comfort that they’re buying the right product or service from the right place.
Why leave this to chance or other websites? Small online retailers are beginning to take the initiative, embracing the realm of “user (customer) generated content” and driving revenue by helping customers post reviews on their sites. Discgear, a Texas-based maker of CD and DVD storage cases, began incorporating customer reviews on its website in late 2008. Within a month it had 100 reviews on the site and was able to create a user community where customers help each other find the right products. What’s more, Discgear has received valuable ideas that it’s using to make product design changes.
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