With evolving technology, consumers’ lives have become increasingly digital. Be it communicating with friends or making purchases, everything is being done digitally.

This evolution has also empowered shoppers to make the right purchase decisions. As per research by GE Capital, 81% of shoppers research online before buying in-store.

This means consumers already start their purchasing journey online researching the product, rather than directly approaching the seller and asking them to suggest a product as per requirements.

Let’s have a look at the other findings of the study:

1. Consumers spend an average of 79 days gathering information before making a major purchase.
2. 60% of consumers start their research with a search engine before heading to a specific website.
3. 88% of consumers made their final purchase in-store.
4. 66% of shoppers conducted their research on a PC or laptop at home and 15% conducted their research on a mobile device at home.
5. 19% of consumers think it’s very important that retailers have mobile-friendly websites.
6. 79% of shoppers feel empowered by technology because it provides access to information.

Based on the above statistics, it seems crucial for both offline and online retailers to build a positive web presence. But how?

One of the most effective ways is – User-generated reviews and testimonials.

User-generated reviews and video testimonials

In this modern age, user-generated reviews and testimonials are the digital forms of word-of-mouth. And if they’re video testimonials, they work like wonder!

Have a look at these fascinating stats taken from the infographic created by the Helplama team:

• 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
• 79% of consumers have watched a video testimonial to learn more about a company, product, or service.
• 2/3 of consumers say they’re more likely to make a purchase after watching a testimonial video demonstrating how a business, product, or service helped someone like them.
• Brand engagement rises by 28% when consumers are exposed to both professional content and user-generated product video.

So, user-generated reviews and video testimonials seem vital as they can significantly boost consumers’ trust in your business or online store.

How to ask customers to create and submit testimonials?

Every customer communication is an opportunity to ask customers to leave a review or submit a testimonial.

Successful placement or delivery of an order, providing great customer service, or resolving their issues, brands should consider all these interactions as opportunities to ask the customers – “Would you like to leave a review or testimonial?”

They’ll most probably reply with a ‘yes’ if they’re satisfied with your service or product.

But if it was that easy, everyone would do it! Only 5 to 10% of consumers submit reviews online. So creating video testimonials can be overwhelming for the customers.

But if you run a Shopify store, there are some free Shopify video testimonial apps that not only make it easy for customers to create and submit the reviews and video testimonials but also make it easy for website owners to manage and embed the testimonials of different pages of the website.

Bottom Line

Empowered by technology, consumers have become highly proactive in their purchasing journey. Instead of relying on the seller, consumers research online before visiting the store. They like to know in advance which brand or product is best for them, making it harder for sellers to convince them.

And if your brand or product doesn’t have a web presence, consumers might not trust your brand or product, and eventually, leave without completing a purchase.

For a business, building consumer trust can be as important as providing great customer service. So, businesses should definitely strive to build a strong and positive web presence if they want to survive and grow in this modern market.