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What helps you make a purchase decision for "review" sites?

by InternetSuccess001
8 replies
Hi,

I'm curious... when you visit a review site, what helps give you the decision whether or not you want to purchase a product?

Obiously things such as:
a) Star ratings based on certain criteria (i.e., 4/5 stars for easy implemenation)
b) Testimonials
c) Quality (honesty) of the review...

What other things would make/break your decision to purchase something on a review site?

Thanks!

John
#decision #helps #make #purchase #review #sites
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Over time, you develop a sense for when someone know what they're talking about and when they're blowing smoke. Especially if it's in an area where you've developed your own expertise.

    There's an old saying..."If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, bury them in bull****." Really good reviews do neither - they just have the ring of truth to them.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeff Henshaw
      I'm curious... when you visit a review site, what helps give you the decision whether or not you want to purchase a product?
      If it's simply a review site set up to review three or four similar products, to each of which the review site owner has attched (or cloaked) his or her affiliate links, then I will sure as heck want at least a second opinion before I purchase.

      I don't care if the reviewer has purchased the products or not, prior to review. I like a range of views on a product.

      Personally, I prefer user reviews from a few 'user review sites', often blogs and you usually have to search in order to find them. These are not perfect either, as the products competitors will sometimes visit and make derogatory posts. These sites however, are my preferred option.

      Just my thoughts,

      Jeff.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ruth P
        Originally Posted by Jeff Henshaw View Post

        If it's simply a review site set up to review three or four similar products, to each of which the review site owner has attched (or cloaked) his or her affiliate links, then I will sure as heck want at least a second opinion before I purchase.
        I completely agree with the above. If it's a small site like that then I am going to question how unbiased it really is and probably look further.

        On the other hand, if I'm looking for a product and going on sites like Amazon, then it's definitely the star ratings, testimonials and honesty of testimonials that ALL do it for me.

        So I guess a good strategy, if you're setting up a small review site, is to try and incorporate variety as mcuh as you can. Although the review will mainly be from your findings, incorporate quotes from any customer testimonials you can find, and mention things from more than one point of view.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fraggler
    Genuine comparisons.

    Computer hardware reviews are a perfect example. Benchmarks are a great visual aid that are hard to manipulate and they give some quantative reasoning to the reviewers opinion. I like numbers so these talk to me.

    A lot of industries have products that you and a lot of potential buyers know are quality. I like to know why the new product is going to be better than the 'industry standard' and if not what is the benefit of the compromise.

    Benchmarks obviously aren't applicable but quality feature comparisons can work well too - if explained fully.

    If you can't provide a genuine review from personal experience then I think an unbias explaination of the features compared to a known quality product is the next best thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author DuaneZ
    The depth of the review, it is really easy to spot review sites that are put up by people that are hoping for the easy buck. If the site is plastered with adsense and it is hard to find the text of the review, then I am hitting the back button FAST.

    If you come across a site that the review is 1000 words about a coffee maker you know then the person really did do good research and you can then trust the product information.
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  • Profile picture of the author fazlerocks
    I am an SEO article writer. So I can sense whether the person or organisation offering product are serving a good one or just flattering. I can recognize by the way they advertise. So, whether there are star ratings or not, if the service provider looks confident enough by his language then I will surely purchase his product!
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Sheltraw
    I always wonder when I see a post like this what the writer really had in mind.

    John, did you really want to know what your peers in Internet Marketing use to make decisions on a purchase? Are you doing reviews for the IM market? If so I can see the responses would be helpful.

    If you are interested in reviews for the general public I also would be interested in what triggers a buying decision but I would guess a focus group of regular folks would be a logical approach. Not that the WF members are NOT regular folks but I hope you know what I mean.

    Any thoughts on what triggers a buying decision with the general public?

    Thanks,

    Tom
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