After reading Tapscotts chapter “The Net Generation as
Consumers” I thought that this is exactly how I am as a consumer. Before I buy
any product I go online and research the product. I like to read reviews to
find out whether or not the product I intend to purchase is worth purchasing.
Horizon Research Publishing created a great article called
“Importance of Online Product Reviews from a Consumer's Perspective” They
created a survey that asked various questions about product reviews, how
important reviews are and where they find these reviews. They found that 74%
found online reviews to be important to vary important and 85% read reviews
often before purchasing online. “The more interesting and surprising finding
was that a lot of customers compare positive and negative reviews with each
other.” That is exactly how I am when it comes to reviews. I am always
interested in why the product was negatively reviewed and why it was positively
reviewed. I also look at the ratio between positive and negative reviews. More
negative reviews than positive then might influence my decision to not purchase
a product.
I also like when companies listen to the consumers. “Leading companies are using all kinds of
innovative approaches to get feedback.” When companies read reviews of their
products they should make changes to those product so that they can better
support the consumer. For example, Apple just released an update to their
ereader app “iBooks” As soon as the app was released people started writing
negative reviews saying that they did not like they new design. “we don’t put books on
aluminum shelves — well, we usually don’t”
For Apple’s product, iBooks, to be successful I hope that Apple reads
the reviews and makes changes to the app in order to meet the concerns of the
net-gen consumers.
Sources
Lackermair,
G., Kailer, D., & Kanmaz, K. (2013, January 1). Importance of Online
Product Reviews from a Consumer's Perspective. . Retrieved June 23, 2014, from
http://www.hrpub.org/download/201307/aeb.2013.010101.pdf
Tapscott,
D. (2009). Grown up digital: how the net generation is changing your world.
New York: McGraw-Hill.
Snelgrove,
N. (2013, November 28). Why I Still Prefer Kindle Over iBooks. iPhoneAppStorm
RSS. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://iphone.appstorm.net/general/opinion-general/why-i-still-prefer-kindle-over-ibooks/
The upcoming of the Net Generation makes businesses much more responsible, directly, to consumers. There is more competition and in order for businesses to compete, they must listen to the consumer or there may not be any more business in the future. Even with local businesses it is easy to go online and see previous customers' reviews and decide if they want to patronize the business. Particularly in the Net Generation, reputation is everything.
ReplyDeleteI have often wondered about online reviews. As a consumer I don't hinge a buying decision on them, but if reviews are available I do read through them. In the back of my head I am always wondering who writes them, could they be working for the company just to make a product look better than it is? I prefer word of mouth from people I know. Sometimes I even poll on Facebook to see what my "friends" use or buy. Just recently I needed septic pumping services, since I have only lived in my area for 3 years and never needed these services before I posted on Facebook asking my friends in the area who they use and would recommend. I am taking a cruise at the end of July and one of my friends going is into checking the reviews when we are searching for excursions. I will have to share with her the resources that Natalie and Scott shared. I like the list of tips from Natalie's resource.
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