When it comes to purchasing consumer electronics (CE), the vast majority (94%) of buyers conduct at least a single activity to form an opinion about a product, and searching for reviews online is the primary way they seek out product opinions, reading an average of 11 reviews before choosing a product. As it turns out, according to survey results from Weber Shandwick [PDF], buyers tend to focus more on consumer reviews than professional reviews in this all-important process.
The study examined attitudes towards reviews across 10 CE products, finding that preference for consumer reviews over professional reviews ranged from 61-79% across those categories. Respondents were most likely to consult consumer reviews for stereo headphones or earbuds (79%), and least likely to do so (while remaining solidly in the majority) for personal computers, laptops and tablets (each at 61%). For CE products in general, respondents were more than three times as likely to pay attention to consumer reviews as to focus on professional reviews (77% vs. 23%). Read the rest at MarketingCharts.
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