Customer Reviews Traditional Advertising

Question: What do consumers believe more, company advertising or online reviews? Answer: Customers are very dynamic elements in a business setting because of their ever changing needs and means of persuading them. At present marketers are aware of the issue of online reviews which serve as a basis for customers to choose or seek services or products of a certain company. It is evident that customers clearly value interaction with trustworthy people who are their fellow customers than traditional advertising. This paper critically analyzes different kinds of literature on whether customers believe online reviews or traditional advertising. Banks, I., De Pelsmacker, P. and Okazaki, S. (2014). Advances in Advertising Research (Vol. V). 1st ed. Springer, p.89. This book by Banks, De Pelsmacker and Okazaki, (2014) focusing on the article by Martin K. J Wanguny where the author reiterates that it has become a common phenomenon for customers to consult online reviews before making their purchases. Online reviews assist a customer to know the negativities about a particular product and also the good side. The traditional method of adverting is theoretical, and the advertisers ensure that they represent the good side that the customers would like to hear and see. This book caution that there are limited screening to authenticate some of the reviews that are seeming to come from former customers of a particular company. Cummins, S., Peltier, J.,W., Schibrowsky, J.,A., Nill, A. (2014). Consumer behavior in the online context. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 8(3), 170. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1660781409?accountid=45049 This article clearly articulates the importance of the internet to consumers. The internet is a momentous platform which helps consumers to communicate and also respond to each other on issues regarding purchasing different products (Cummins, Peltier, Schibrowsky, Nill,2014). Through networking via the internet, the social information which is received affects greatly how consumers make their choices. This means that a positive and a negative review from the internet affects the decision of a buyer. It is evident that many of the shopping experiences affect a buyer at a personal level. For this reason, the fact that there are a lot of individual accounts of their shopping experience will dictate the feeling of a particular person regarding a certain product or company. BrightLocal. (2016). Local Consumer Review Survey 2016 | The Impact Of Online Reviews. [online] Available at: https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-consumer-review-survey/ [Accessed 19 Apr. 2017]. This website provides statistics about people's experience on consumers online reviews. This survey asserts that eight-four percent of all consumers have much trust on consumer reviews than traditional advertising. It was also discovered that seven out of ten consumers are likely to give a review if they are asked. Consequently, ninety percent of customers usually read reviews before they make any decision regarding a particular product (BrightLocal, 2016). This statistics should be a wake-up call to all businesses and marketers. As at now, a recommendation which is positive regarding a service of a product of a particular business is the strongest arsenal. Customer reviews help consumers to make a purchase decision at a faster rate. Strauss, J. and Frost, R. (2016). E-marketing. 1st ed. Routledge, p.380. Strauss and Frost, (2016) suggest that trust is very important when it comes to the engagement of customers through word of mouth. The current generation of people has realized that many companies offer Advertising which does not depict the real service or product that a customer intends to achieve. It evident that a person usually trusts another person who shares the same interest. For a traditional advertisement, a company or a marketer has a different interest from the customers which is to make profit. Advertisement is a significant part of a business process, but at present, it can serve the purpose of reminding customers of their existence. However, the traditional advisement cannot be able to persuade customers to purchase their products. Shrestha, K. and Shrestha, K. (2016). [infographic] 50 Stats You Need to Know About Online Reviews - Vendasta. [online] Vendasta. Available at: https://www.vendasta.com/blog/50-stats-you-need-to-know-about-online-reviews [Accessed 19 Apr. 2017]. According to this article by Shrestha and Shrestha, (2016), online reviews are not necessarily important to customers but also contribute to creating a positive digital portfolio to any business. For this reason, companies should ensure that they have rating reviews of their own rather than leaving this crucial work to outsiders. With the current digital world, customers can relay their frustrations about a product of a company directly to the web, thus a dire need for companies to have a platform where they can respond quickly to avoid embarrassment. Online reviews are extremely momentous for the image of a company. As dubious as it may seem, companies should help manage online reviews. In conclusion, from the above literature it is evident that customers trust online reviews more than traditional advertisements. This is because online reviews have a personal touch since customers believe what other customers have to say about a particular product or service. References Banks, I., De Pelsmacker, P. and Okazaki, S. (2014).Advances in Advertising Research (Vol. V). 1st ed. Springer, p.89. BrightLocal. (2016).Local Consumer Review Survey 2016 | The Impact Of Online Reviews. [online] Available at: https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-consumer-review-survey/ [Accessed 19 Apr. 2017]. Cummins, S., Peltier, J.,W., Schibrowsky, J.,A., Nill, A. (2014). Consumer behavior in the online context. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 8(3), 170. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1660781409?accountid=45049 Shrestha, K. and Shrestha, K. (2016).[infographic] 50 Stats You Need to Know About Online Reviews - Vendasta. [online] Vendasta. Available at: https://www.vendasta.com/blog/50-stats-you-need-to-know-about-online-reviews [Accessed 19 Apr. 2017]. Strauss, J. and Frost, R. (2016).E-marketing. 1st ed. Routledge, p.380.