Study Finds that Consumers Trust Online Information

There’s an old saying “without trust there is nothing” and as marketers we know that if we lose the trust of our audience we lose our voice. Good news for digital marketers, a new Nielsen study found that consumers trust information and opinions that they find online.

“The explosion in Consumer Generated Media over the last couple of years means consumers’ reliance on word of mouth in the decision-making process, either from people they know or online consumers they don’t, has increased significantly,” says Jonathan Carson, President of Online, International, for the Nielsen Company.

Validating that crowd sourced content matters, Nielsen’s Global Online Consumer Survey found that 90 percent of participants said that they trust recommendations from people they know, and 70 percent trust consumer opinions posted online. In addition, 70 percent of the participants trust brand websites which is even better news for digital marketers.

Nielsen Survey Consumers Trust Online Opinions

According to Carson, “It also shows that, despite the authority of word of mouth when it comes to consumer decision-making, advertisers still have a major say in the process. The website, and monitoring feedback through it, is a golden opportunity for advertisers to shape the tone and content of consumer opinion before it reaches the digital masses.”

This ties in perfectly to our philosophy here at ShopLocal. Present shoppers with what they want… targeted, relevant retail promotions. Then add value by coupling those promotions with valuable information like crowd sourced opinions and ratings. And of course constantly evaluate and optimize so that every shopper receives a great personalized experience.

To view the entire Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey click here.