Retail Snapshot: Social Proof and Holiday Spending

Social proof drives holiday sales—online and in stores

Check out our new retail snapshot based on survey data from over 40,000 shoppers across their store, web, and mobile experiences. Retail data from ResellerRatings and ForeSee reveals 2018 holiday shopping trends impacting digital marketing initiatives as consumers look to the authenticity of first-person customer reviews and photos to guide their purchasing decisions. 

How are these consumer shifts shaping the future of holiday shopping and the value of ratings and reviews?

The power of ratings and reviews is growing in every channel influencing shoppers and guiding them along their journey. This is even truer during the holidays when authenticity gives shoppers comfort, joy, and reasons to buy online and in stores. 

Key findings from the research include:

• 61% of shoppers prefer to research holiday gifts online
• 90% of shopper are more likely to buy a product that has mostly positive reviews
• 15% who finish their purchase process in a store started in a digital channel
• 82% place high importance on reviews for local stores and businesses

Findings in the study also support that good UGC paired with great experiences on web and mobile influence a customer’s overall likelihood to complete a purchase and recommend a brand. 

GET THE SNAPSHOT (SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD GUIDE)

If you haven’t already, come join our retail community and claim your storefront page on ResellerRatings.com. Doing so will encourage the creation of authentic reviews, drive organic search traffic to your site, and increase your visibility in ResellerRatings Stories and beyond. With over 500,000 shoppers a month relying on ResellerRatings reviews, you’ll want to be there. And unlike search on Amazon and Google, our search engine helps level the playing field for retailers by democratizing search results and reducing reliance on SEO and paid listings.

Contact us with questions about setting up your page or set up a demo to discuss other ways to optimize your digital marketing strategy for holiday with Reviews Suite.