• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, May 22, 2017

Yelp has commissioned a survey from Nielsen, which argues that review sites drive higher conversions than search and social media.

The survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, conducted late last year and released Monday, found that 92% of respondents said they made a purchase after visiting Yelp "at least sometimes, frequently or almost always."

About 25% of those who read a review made a purchase within a few hours, 42% within a day or less, and 79% within a week or less

The survey also suggests that the number of consumers who report purchasing something within a few hours rose 212%, and the number of consumers made a purchase after a day or less rose by 55%.

The study found that 74% of the consumers searching online for a local business turn to consumer online review sites at least monthly.

Some 79% say they look for a business they can visit multiple times, while 85% of Yelp users share the businesses they find on Yelp with friends at least frequently or occasionally.

Here are other findings for restaurant ordering and delivery services:

--  ­55% of Yelp users searching for restaurants have ordered takeout or delivery from a restaurant they found on Yelp

--  58% of Yelp users searching for restaurants in the past 3 months claim they order takeout or delivery at least monthly

--  Only 47% were previously familiar with that restaurant before using Yelp