How Consumer Reviews Influence Canadian Shoppers
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Consumer reviews are the clear bible of the online purchasing community worldwide.
The more engaged I become in how critical consumer reviews are, the more I leave comments.
I don’t do it for money; I do it because I’m happy with a product or the service I’ve received.
Often there are no gifts or monetary compensation tags, and I’m okay with that.
On the other hand, I don’t stay quiet when something goes wrong, but I communicate issues professionally.
Whether you receive an email from a company requesting consumer reviews or marketing is on the product receipt, it’s essential to any business.
Today, I want to share my experiences with online consumer reviews and how they influence and shape society.
Grocery Shopping Consumer Reviews
Have you ever been at the grocery store looking at a product, and another shopper jumps in and tells you how amazing it is?
It’s happened to me numerous times, and this is what I like to call In-person consumer product reviews.
If I had any doubts about a product, I’d ask someone who just put the item in their shopping cart.
When someone you don’t know at a store offers free reviews about a product, they’ve tried it before you buy it.
I was hunting for daikon radish to use in a salad, but I had never tried one before.
When I picked one up at Food Basics, a lady told me they were crisp and delicious in salads or kimchi.
Guess what?
I made homemade kimchi with daikon radish and a daikon radish salad, which are fantastic.
Mrs. CBB and I enjoy eating daikon radish raw as it doesn’t taste spicy like traditional red radishes.
Not all consumer reviews are positive, and I’ve been told not to buy something because it tastes gross or the quality is sub-par.
You might run into the grocery shopper who rants and raves about products and that it’s on sale, a great time to stock up.
I’ve had that happen many times, and I like how someone I don’t know offers me feedback about a product.
The problem falls short when there is no reward for customers who offer their opinion.
Consumer Reviews Without Incentives
Nobody works for free, including consumers who spend money online or in-store.
For example, if you offer a consumer review at Value Village, they give you a two-dollar coupon.
It’s not much, but it’s something for anyone looking to save more money at Value Village.
Filling out an online survey from Burger King will net you a free burger or buy one get one free coupon.
Giving your email to Shoppers Drug Mart allows them to send you exclusive coupons, Optimum Points, or in-person demonstrations in the beauty department.
Only Upset Customers Leave Product Reviews
If you want to get a company’s attention, you must leave a bad review on social media.
Twitter X is the best way to get customer service when all else fails.
Yes, I’ve left bad reviews; however, I added whether it solved the problem of the study.
Getting in touch with the seller or manufacturer first is far better than dumping a negative review.
Canadians who are upset will leave a review and tell it like it is if they have already tried to contact the business with no reply or a response that wasn’t good enough.
The threat of going online and posting on social media can punch a hole in any online marketing plan.
When a customer goes this route, the company often tries to fix the problem first.
The other thing that might happen is when a review is completed and it’s negative, the business will either answer it, delete it, or send it to management.
Are Consumer Reviews Real?
I don’t know many people who don’t turn to online consumer reviews before purchasing.
Understanding how consumer reviews influence our minds is essential to purchasing power and freedom of choice.
Those who won’t fill out a consumer product review miss out on employees who are thrilled to be recognized.
However, if the consumer product reviews are negative, they may not be posted online but will help improve certain situations.
You will never see them again when we get consumer product reviews and fill them out.
Some businesses post only positive reviews on their website or blog and fix other problems behind the scenes.
I prefer to shop at a business that posts all consumer product reviews with an answer.
When I see something like this, it tells me the company cares about its reputation and keeping the customers happy.
Shopping Experience Consumer Reviews
Everywhere we spend money in Canada, we use our credit cards to earn points and rewards.
Our most significant points card is Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum Points, with over 6.5 million points waiting to be spent.
For those unfamiliar with the program, every thousand points equals one dollar.
Surprisingly, we have $6500 to spend at Shoppers Drug Mart or Loblaws stores across Canada.
Filling Out A Short Survey
Without fail, each time you sign up online when you shop, there will be a consumer experience email to follow.
For example, when we shop at Shoppers Drug Mart, we get an email asking us to take a short survey.
These consumer surveys might come with a prize at the end of the month to motivate survey completion.
On many occasions, I have filled out consumer reviews; however, they don’t always end up online.
I’ve written two positive online consumer reviews for Shoppers Drug Mart that went to the store owner.
The staff knew it was me, and once they printed my review, the manager posted it in their lunch room.
These reviews, whether good or those with improvements needed, should be posted.
We all deserve a pat on the back and a perspective from others who shop where you work.
Why Canadian Businesses Rely on Consumer Reviews
Businesses use consumer reviews for many reasons;
- How the company can improve customer service experiences.
- Areas of improvement for staff, including management.
- Positive consumer reviews reiterate why customers keep coming back.
- What types of marketing engagement are working and influencing the customer?
- Do customers prefer a cashier or self-scanners to pay for products?
- How online experience shapes whether a customer returns to shopping online.
- Is the current rewards program working, and what feedback do consumers report?
I’m not a marketing specialist, but I believe even the savviest shopper should understand the relevance of their input to businesses.
Consumer Reports Canada
Unless I’m mistaken, there is no Consumer Reports Canada apart from a magazine called Canada Extra, which is four pages long.
I don’t know where you can purchase this, although I did read that Canadians wanted this publication to be available digitally.
For now, I’ll rely on consumer product reviews or, worst case, I buy something and learn a lesson.
Get Paid To Review Products Online
Some people, including myself, get paid to review products online.
Canadian Budget Binder is a business, and I get many emails from companies that want me to test their product.
If I don’t get monetary compensation, I’ll at least get to keep the product free, plus a payment on the side.
I tell the business I will offer my genuine opinion, which usually involves pros and cons.
Canadians want to look out for fake reviews or those paid by the business.
Yes, it happens mainly on Wish.ca because there have been many times the studies don’t even match the product.
You must watch reviews to see if the person left a review or just five stars.
The stars mean nothing to me.
For example, see a two-dollar watch from Wish Canada and its reviews below.
I’m not saying all of the reviews are this way, but I am 100% certain I’ve seen comments that do not relate to the product.
My wife (Mrs. CBB) purchased t-shirts from Wish that arrived on time and got what she ordered.
The only part that failed her was that the t-shirts were not cotton and were manufactured with cheap silky material.
You get what you pay for is my motto.
We advise reading consumer product reviews and verifying them on Amazon Canada.
I like how Amazon reads over the reviews before posting them, and the return policy is stellar.
If I love a product I purchase online, I will tell friends and family and perhaps leave a genuine review.
Making mistakes as Mrs. CBB did is okay, but now she’s learned her lesson for future purchases.
Beauty Consumer Reviews
I don’t do beauty reviews, nor does Mrs. CBB, unless she makes a purchase online, which is rare.
She has left beauty reviews for SkinCeuticals as that’s her product of choice and has everything good to say.
The review is often left online under an ad for SkinCeuticals because she believes in their product.
The review doesn’t mean it will work for you, but it’s worth a shot.
Treat reviews as a hit or miss; returning the product with no postage fees is worth the try.
She buys her face regime products from our dermatologist, who offers a full refund if the product doesn’t work for her skin.
Products and Consumer Reviews
I’ve been blogging for a long time now and have noticed the trend of how consumer reviews influence what we purchase.
Some of the most influential consumer reviews are categorized from the top through the lowest.
Most online reviews allow users to read reviews using a drop-down menu that includes the newest study, popular reviews, and the unhappy customer.
Overall, whenever we are in the market to purchase an item we are researching, we go online.
I’d say we read Amazon Canada reviews quite a bit and reviews from the product source.
Now that we know how fake reviews and paid reviews are behind the scenes, it makes researching purchases easier.
Discussion: Do you rely on consumer product reviews before purchasing an item?
Please share with us what pros and cons you’ve found in the comments below.
Mr. CBB
