New research confirms the power of peer-to-peer recommendations
According to a huge study by Mention Me, a tech platform for recommendations, 51% of customers trust their friends’ or partner’s recommendations more than brand advertising.
Interestingly, some 37% of the thousands of UK consumers surveyed had also personally recommended a brand within the past month.
Good old word of mouth
A further 41% stated that they would choose not to shop with a brand that a friend or peer had been critical of. This statistic, perhaps more than any other, is a reminder of just how damaging unhappy customers can be.
But happy customers, in the shape of recommendations, can be transformative too. To get recommendations, the survey found that ‘being trustworthy’ was the key, with 72% of respondents making that their biggest draw. Customer service was close behind, with 63%.
There’s also been a clear change in the way that ethics and sustainability are affecting customer recommendations. A huge 49% said that they would be more likely to refer a brand if it paid its staff a fair wage – and the same percentage would refer brands committed to eradicating single use plastics.
You can read the full survey results here: mention-me.com/customer-advocacy-research-report-2020.
Trusting peers
Trusting peer recommendations on brands can be more beneficial, as the suggestions often come from personal experiences and honest feedback, typically based on their satisfaction with the product’s quality, performance, and value.
Word-of-mouth endorsement can be more reliable than advertisements, as peers have no vested interest in promoting the brand. Peers can help filter through the vast array of options available, making decision-making processes more efficient and tailored to personal needs.
However, it’s important to consider multiple opinions and verify the credibility of the sources to ensure a well-rounded perspective.
Believe the hype
We’re proud to be the most recommended business in our sector, with more 5-star Trustpilot reviews than our major competitors (BT, TalkTalk and Virgin) put together. And we think it’s the best possible way of helping customers to choose.
To see what our customers say take a look at our customer reviews.
