The Role of Blogs and Reviews in Making Purchase Decisions
Discuss about the Understanding Customer Experience Customer Journey.
Blogs and reviews are one of the popular sources of getting the information. By sitting anywhere the individual can easily get the information of the products and services offered by the company. When a customer wants to purchase a product it is seen that they read the blogs written by the bloggers and also reviews the comments of the customers who have already experienced the service. The suggestions and feedback given by them help an individual to choose the best product among the various ranges. The feedback can be negative as well as positive also, so by reading it the customer get an idea whether to purchase the product or not. Blogging is considered as a source from which the customers can get proper knowledge about products and services (Krestel and Dokoohaki, 2015). The motive if the bloggers are to give information about the products and services experienced by them. There are many types of bloggers like food bloggers, fashion blogger, travel blogger and also product blogger. It is medium through which customers or an individual can interact with the people who have already experienced the products and the services. It is a popular search engine tool that helps the people to gain information about the specific service or the product. There are many pages of the bloggers on Instagram and Facebook from which the customers can easily gain the information regarding the products and services (Fang et al., 2016).
In this essay, the discussion will be related to that how blogs and customer reviews are considered as an important factor at the time of making a decision related to purchasing. By reading blogs and reviews it can be easy for the customers to have a proper understanding of the products and services. With the help of internet, it can be simple for the customers to access blogs and reviews given by the customers. Blogs and customer reviews help the customers to take right decisions related to the products and services (Harmeling et al., 2017). Through blogs and reviews, the customer thinking pattern changes and they start taking correct decisions. The information given by the bloggers helps the customers to invest time and money at a right place. If a person if thinking negative about a product or a service, the blogs and customer review can change the mindset in a positive manner (Colton, 2018).
Impact of Digital Technologies on Customer Behavior
If the emphasis is given to the current environment, then it can be seen that customer are more inclined towards latest digital technologies. New and latest information can be gathered with the help of digital technologies. People are ordering food and also the clothes and gadgets by sitting a home. They gather information by reading blogs and customer reviews. Blogs and reviews are also given on social media and through social media, it can be spread to a large audience in less time (Jarreau and Porter, 2018). When a person goes to purchase a product or the service they first gather the information about the price, features, and quality so that they can take accurate decisions. If a blogger or customer tries any product and they are not satisfied with it then it can give negative impact on the image of the company. The negative feedback given by the customers can induce them to try a new product or the substitute’s available in the market. There are many new products and services available in the market, so through blogs and customer reviews, people get awareness (Leal et al., 2014).
The purchasing decisions of the customers are affected just because of the post given by the bloggers and customers. Blogs and the reviews by the customer affect the decision-making process of the customers. By reading blogs and customer review it can be easy for the customer to attain knowledge of each and every field. If a person has a negative image of the product then it can be changed to the point positive of the specific product or service (Park and Nicolau, 2015). Sometimes by seeing the image or the pictures post by the blogger or the customer can induce them to purchase or avail the services. It is a human nature that people consider those things which are given by the other people.If a person says that this product is not good then they will accept and will never experience it. The tendency is made of an individual in reference to the suggestions given by the other people (Lemon and Verhoef, 2016).
If an individual suggests or gives view to try the product then whenever a person is going someone he or she will give a thought to that suggestion. Like a food blogger posted amazing pictures and blogs on a café which is new in the city. Then a person who is thinking or finding a new place to visit will take that suggestion given by the blogger as a priority and will avail the services. Positive feedbacks can also enhance the image of the products and services in the market. If positive feedback is given by the blogger or the customer then people think that there is something good in this product or the service whereas as negative feedback can reduce the demand and can also change the positive mind of a person. When a person gets confused at the time of purchasing the product they choose to read the blogs or the customer review so that their confusion can be reduced (Ng and Wakenshaw, 2017). Hence, it has been seen that majority of people are now days focusing on the blogs and customer reviews before purchasing any products and services.
Positive and Negative Feedback on Products and Services
By emphasizing on blogs and customer reviews it can be simple to choose the best product so that the risk related to purchase of the product can be reduced. The utility of the product can also be evaluated by reading blogs and reviews of the customers. When bloggers write their blogs and customers give their reviews then it has been seen that customer will take a decision by considering the points mentioned by the bloggers and the customers (Sari, Alamsyah, and Wibowo, 2018).
Also, when the utility of the product is related to the requirement of a person then only they will prefer to choose a particular product. When a person goes to purchase the product then it is seen that customers always read the blogs and reviews so that accuracy in the process of decision making can take place. The Customers always give emphasizes on reading blogs and reviews as it is a reliable medium for them to gain accurate information about the product and service. When they get the idea from the blogs and review then they feel safe to avail the services. The customers will choose those products on which positive feedback and reviews are given by the customers and the bloggers.
Bloggers are popular on the online as well as on offline platform. It has been evaluated that the blogger gives their idea and also the feedback on their personal experience which assists the consumers to consider the right decisions. There are many large companies also who send products as a sample to the bloggers so that they can post the pictures on their blogs and can give feedback or suggestion related to purchase decision of the products (Kiang and Shang, 2015). Bloggers provide detailed information about the products and services which are availed or experienced by them.
If a person is a food blogger then he or she will write a blog on food. The information which is given on their bog will be related to quality, price, taste, and ambiance of the café. They post and write blogs in such a manner that customers can review and take correct decisions. There are many customers also who take suggestions from the bloggers so that they can avail the best service or the product (Toldos-Romero and Orozco-Gómez, 2015). Hence, through this, it can be stated that yes the purchasing decision is affected if the customers are engaged in reading blogs and reviews.
Choosing the Best Products and Services through Blogs and Reviews
Blogs and customer reviews help the customers to choose the best service and also helps to maximize their level of satisfaction. There are many meets conducted by the bloggers in which they are invited. They are invited to a particular café and they visit the cafes to give feedback to the owner and also to give a review on the social media sites through their page. The followers who are interested will follow and ask the questions in return. It can be seen that the best suggestion is given by the blogger or a person who tries the product earlier (Kim and Krishnan, 2015).
When a person opens a new outlet or a café than they approach the bloggers of the city to promote the products or the services can be done in a proper manner. It is seen that if positive feedback is given by the blogger then image and demand of the product enhances in the market. The new business also promotes their products on the social media platform so that consumers can get knowledge about the new products and services introduced in the market. It demands enhances then the direct impact will be seen in the profits of the company (Lobe et al., 2015).
So, bloggers and reviews by the customers play a great role in the customer decision-making process. That is the major reason the companies treat a customer as their assets because if they give the wrong review then it can change the mindset of the other person also. The positive review given or mentioned by the customer on the company websites help to enhance the demand as well as the sale of the products in the competitive market. It has also been analyzed that the reviews and rating given by the customers and bloggers are considered as a rating for the companies (Yogesh and Yesha, 2014). If blogger gives low rating then it will give adverse impact on the overall rating. For example: when we visit any website of the company, there we will see the overall rating. This rating mainly depends on the overall feedback and reviews given by the customers and the bloggers on their products and services.
Also, it can be evaluated that there are many followers who are following the bloggers. So, when they post an image or the blog the information is given to the large audience in less time. This is the advantage for the company as the bloggers are promoting their products or the services in less time. It can help the company to attract more and more customer towards the products or the services which they are offering (Zhang et al., 2016).
Therefore, by evaluating the paper it has been concluded that blogs and customer reviews can easily change the mindset towards buying products and services. The blogs and reviews assist the customers to avail accurate information about the product or service. This is the best source from which the customers can gain knowledge in an easy manner.
References
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