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Quote: While the vast majority of online consumers use customer reviews during product research, not very many online sellers offer them, according to new research from Forrester Research Inc. Part of e-retailers’ anxiety with providing reviews is fear they will lose control of their marketing message and subsequently lose sales, the research firm says.

Forrester evaluated 4,000 reviews in the electronics and home & garden categories on Amazon.com and found that some of this fear may be unfounded: More than 80% of the reviews were positive, and the negative reviews generally were considered helpful, as indicated by shoppers...

Quote:The bottom line: E-tailers who don't encourage customer reviews because they fear negative comments are missing out on a number of potential benefits. They include:

    * Useful feedback. "Reviews can provide valuable feedback that e-tailers should listen to," said Mulpuru. Reviews are an easy, affordable way to find out what your customers really think, which can enable you to spot problems with products, shipping, or customer service before they get out of hand.

    * Increase sales. Online shoppers are notorious for returning products, noted Hurt. The reason: Shopping online doesn't provide the same tactile experience consumers get in brick-and-mortar stores. Sophisticated tools such as 3D product views help enhance online shopping, but customer reviews help close the gap too. "There is nothing more powerful than being able to learn about a product through someone else's experience with it," said Hurt. In turn, this helps e-tailers increase sales.

    * Decrease returns. Reviews can help set customer expectations properly, which results in fewer returns...