• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 9, 2009

Nielsen Online, studying the holiday mindset of the U.S. online shopper, found that customer reviews are an important research tool for online consumers, with 71 percent agreeing that consumer reviews make them more comfortable that they are buying the right product. 81 percent of online shoppers have read product or retailer reviews by other customers when doing their holiday shopping this year.

Evaluation of this customer feedback found that 63 percent of online shoppers indicated that it was important to have multiple reviews for each product; 14 percent looked for reviews from an established source; and just three percent sought out reviews by people they knew personally.

Ken Cassar, vice president, industry insights, Nielsen Online, said "Consumer reviews are a must-have for online retailers, especially... when shoppers are buying for others in categories they're less familiar with... consumers are looking for outside feedback for guidance."

Important Factors in Evaluating Customer Reviews
Factor	% of Respondents
The product has multiple ratings or reviews	63%
The rating or review comes from an established source	14
The rating or review comes from someone I know	3
Other	2
Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008

 24 percent of online shoppers have spent more than $500 so far this holiday season (12/18), with 22 percent spending between $100-199 online. The 24/7 shopping convenience of the Web was the reason cited most frequently by respondents (78 percent) for shopping online. 

Money Already Spent (12/18) Online this Holiday Season
Amount	% of Respondents
Less than $100	18%
$100-199	22
$200-299	17
$30-399	13
$400-499	5
More than $500	24
Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008

 55 percent of respondents indicated that they logged onto the Web site of a local brick and mortar retailer before visiting the physical store. The primary reason for going online first was comparing prices between retailers, followed by checking if an item was in stock and looking for sales in stores.

 Cassar continued, "... retailers should consider the online contribution to store sales, in addition to online sales, when evaluating how well the season went."

Top 5 Reasons Consumers Visit Retailer Web Site before Visiting Store
Reason	% of Respondents
Wanted to compare prices between different retailers whose stores I might shop	33%
Wanted to see if the product I was looking for was in stock	28
Wanted to find sales in the store	26
Wanted to come up with holiday gift ideas before I went shopping	22
I ordered online for in-store pickup	12
Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008

 62 percent of respondents said that the most popular reason to shop at a particular online retailer was having made a purchase there in the past. Search engines were the second most popular way to find an online retailer, followed by offline catalogs. These results underscore the importance to consumers of solid, longstanding relationships with retailers they trust, says the report. 

Top 5 Reasons to Shop at a Particular Web Site
Reason	% of Respondents
I went to the retailer I have purchased from in the past	62%
I found the retailer through search engines	38
I received a catalog in the mail from the retailer	31
I came across an email promotion from the retailer	25
I subscribe to e-newsletters from retailers	25
Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008

 

For more information, please visit NielsenOnline here.