Uninformed customers are going extinct. With the world’s information at our fingertips, shoppers are increasingly starting their shopping journey with research, going online for reviews on nearly everything – from picking a new toothbrush to trying new software. 92% of consumers read reviews before making most of their ordinary purchasing decisions. Instead of calling a friend for a dinner or hotel recommendation, they turn to the wisdom of the crowd or cloud. That means that what consumers read online about your prod ucts or your business can have a huge influence on their purchase behavior – and may ultimately make or break your bottom line. 

Consumers say that online reviews like Google Reviews are 7.4x more important in choosing a business than traditional marketing. 

Now more than ever, you should prioritize customer reviews in your marketing strategy. Wondering how you can collect reviews to harness the power of social proof?  If you guessed “incentives,” you’re on to something! Incentivizing your customers with digital gift cards can revolutionize the way you get customer reviews.

Here are three reasons to use digital gift cards to get more positive, relevant, and recent online business reviews.

Incentives increase the number of reviews a company is likely to receive.

And trust us, you want reviews – a lot of them. Consumers not only want, but expect, to see online reviews about a product or business. Interestingly, both quality and quantity matter. In addition to the ratings you receive, consumers actually expect to see about 112 reviews in order to trust a brand.

Using incentives like digital gift cards increase the volume of reviews a company receives. Reviews, like Google reviews, Amazon reviews, and G2 reviews,  influence consumers during the pivotal “I want-to-know”or “I want-to-buy” micro-moments. When consumers whip out smartphones and want answers in seconds, let your reviews foster buyer confidence.

Customers who receive digital gift card incentives write more positive reviews.

Your business can have thousands of reviews, but what good are they if they aren’t singing your praises? Negative reviews send consumers running to the hills. It’s true: 94% of consumers said a negative review convinced them to avoid a business. 

Using incentives can combat Negative Nancys by helping you collect more positive reviews. Don’t worry! We aren’t recommending that you bribe customers or try to influence the review. A Harvard Business Review study found that customers write significantly more positive reviews when offered a financial incentive, like a digital gift card, even if the incentive is not at all contingent on the content of the review. 

Customers who already have stellar experiences use 40% more positive language in their reviews. Surprisingly, customers said writing the review was more interesting and enjoyable with an incentive. 

Incentive campaigns generate more up-to-date reviews. 

Reviews instill trust and inspire confidence, but that won’t happen if your reviews are too old. 83% of consumers care more about recent and relevant reviews. Creating an incentive campaign provides your customers with a great reason to add reviews shortly after purchase. That leads to new, more relevant reviews and testimonials that impact buyer confidence and conversion!

Incentivizing customers with digital gift cards can lead to a higher quantity, better quality, and more timely reviews for your business and products. 

The result?

More informed consumers confidently click those "add to cart," "buy," or "subscribe" buttons, and more revenue for you.

If you’re excited about taking your incentive marketing campaign to the next level, check out the great work companies are doing with Runa and schedule a demo to see how our powerful platform can help your organization.