Online shoppers ‘take over three hours’ deciding which products to buy and scour customer reviews on sites

ONLINE shoppers take more than three hours deciding which products to buy – and many scour customer reviews on websites first.

Shoppers work through seven stages before making a significant buy via the internet – which includes spending at least 35 minutes deciding whether a purchase is absolutely necessary.

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Online shoppers take more than three hours to complete an online purchase[/caption]

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And shoppers scour other reviews before placing an order, a study has found[/caption]

Following that, an online search for a product or service, including on social media sites, will take place over the next 33 minutes.  

And the survey of 2,000 adults found an average of 30 minutes is then spent reading online reviews and recommendations.

The average shopper avoids a purchase if something has fewer than 3.4 stars out of five, while one in 10 wouldn’t buy something with 99 five-star ratings if it has even a single one-star review.

Half an hour will also be spent narrowing down the choices between brands by comparing to other similar products for price and quality.

Other steps include sharing potential purchases with friends or family, putting something into a virtual basket – then the final hurdle of completing the transaction.

The research was commissioned by Vision Direct, whose chief marketing officer Ashley Mealor said: “As purchasers are spending so long scouring reviews, it is so important for businesses, especially those operating online, to be accurately and fairly represented.

“We recognise there are some brands which have reviews that cannot be trusted, as those writing them have been incentivised to do so.”

He said competitions and cash offered for reviews “can be misleading and skew authenticity” – but sites like Trustpilot are taking steps to “ensure it’s a level playing field for all”.

The research also found 62 per cent of respondents think of themselves as ‘considered’ purchasers – who don’t buy without thoroughly researching the item first.

However, 14 per cent are happy to describe themselves as an ‘impulse’ buyer, who shops first then asks questions later.

But Brits would not consider something to be a ‘significant’ purchase if it fell below the £163 price point – and the last time they spent more than £100, they deliberated for eight days.

And 31 per cent are more likely to make a significant buy online, while 25 per cent would rather do it face-to-face – with the remainder not caring either way.

It also emerged that in order to ‘fully trust’ a brand, Brits want to receive their goods in perfect condition – 45 per cent – experience super-quick delivery – 26 per cent – and be on the receiving end of exceptional customer service – 41 per cent.

But while 78 per cent of shoppers leave online reviews after using a company, just under half are more likely to do so if they are offered an incentive like money off their next order, or a chance to win a prize.

However, a huge 83 per cent of those polled via OnePoll believe unscrupulous sites or brands often put up fake positive reviews to try and trick people into buying their goods.

As a result of the findings, Vision Direct has launched a quiz to test how quickly Brits can spot the best reviews and bag a bargain.

“Our study found online reviews to be hugely important to lots of people – half say they are important, especially when considering eyewear or eye medication,” Ashley said.

“This is where the fifth stage of shopping – getting real-world feedback from people you know in real life – can be hugely beneficial.

“If somebody you know and trust is willing to recommend something that word-of-mouth review is worth its weight in gold to any manufacturer.”