Increasingly customer reviews are influencing purchasing decisions, something that several research studies have highlighted.

One particular summary of this research that Econsultancy published today discusses this in the online and offline retail world.   They report that Google’s consumer survey last year found 84% of customers felt that online research and feedback helped influence their buying decisions.

This article also highlighted that site visitors who interact with reviews are 105% more likely to purchase.

Econsultancy’s 2012 report - How the Internet Can Save the High Street - also touched on this issue. Of the customers they surveyed 44% said they always researched purchases online before buying offline.

This report also highlighted that 43% of shoppers now use their smartphones on the move to compare prices and read customer reviews, a huge jump from just 19% the previous year.

In the world we live in today we are exposed to a huge amount of information at our fingertips, it is therefore unsurprising that customer reviews are much more trusted than product descriptions or marketing techniques.

As the online channel and consumer choice grows, it is likely that reliance on customer reviews will only increase. Therefore retailers should act now to bring their online reviews in-store to influence buying behaviour in an positive way.