It might be hard to believe, but bad reviews can be good for business. We've been digging into the data around the impact of displaying bad reviews on your website, and we've discovered some remarkable conclusions.
The surprising truth is that bad reviews have a variety of business benefits. Most significantly – and most surprisingly – they increase conversion rates: consumers who deliberately seek out bad reviews convert 67% more often than normal shoppers.
Despite the nervous economic conditions across the continent, 2011 was a bumper year for ecommerce in Europe. An end of year analysis from the Centre for Retail Research shows an increase in online sales across Europe of nearly 20% from 2010, and over 40% from 2008.
This far outstripped predicted growth, especially in France where the year-on-year growth was 24%, and Poland, where online sales soared by 33%.
Choosing the right holiday is hugely important for consumers, which is why they’re willing to spend hours researching online before booking. Reviews and recommendations have played a key part in this process for years, with 88% of travellers using them today.