A new study, based upon 500 consumers in the U.S.A, has shown that only half believe that the information representing a brand in search results is accurate. This new research was published from a joint survey, conducted by Yext and Forbes.
This study has also revealed that consumers will hold brands accountable when they believe that the information displayed is either misleading or false.
Other findings have shown that:
- 57% of people in fact bypass the search and visit a brand’s site directly to attain accurate information.
- 20% of current and new customers tend to trust social media sites over other sources to deliver information regarding brands
- 47% report being more inclined to trust third party sites over a brands own website
- 50% use third party sites to find information about brands
- 28% of customers will not buy from brands after receiving false information
These findings show that accurate and transparent information regarding brands is a pivotal feature for consumers to be more trusting and more inclined to purchase a brands product or service.
- More factors come into a customer’s decision to not buy from a brand, and the survey reported that 41% of consumers won’t buy from a brand if they have poor customer service
- 31% will be put off by too many information requests
- 30% will not buy from a brand if their website is not accessible or doesn’t help to find a specific product.
Going forward, it is clear that brands will have to ensure that they keep control of their entire online experience across all channels and platforms
Customers will expect a trustworthy and engaging brand in order to continue to purchase from them, this expectation will only become more common, as we keep on expecting more from the brands we buy from.To conclude, having a safe and trustworthy brand is of paramount importance to consumers, and we will only expect more interaction, engagement and transparency in order to interact and purchase from brands.
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