(NAPSI)—Getting the right software for your company doesn’t
have to be hard if you heed the recent research.
For instance, a major online resource for business software buyers has
found that reviews are vital to software vendors seeking growth in the small
and midsize business market. The research was done by Capterra, the market
leader for most verified reviews available to software purchasing decision
makers. It revealed that marketing-related software saw a 591 percent
increase in published reviews, and network security software experienced a
463 percent increase—validating that marketing tools and security platforms
are key priorities for small-business growth.
“Our research shows that buyers count on reviews to help them make
informed purchasing decisions. At Capterra we strive to help buyers make the
best decision possible and reaching 500,000 verified reviews on Capterra.com
shows our commitment to providing software buyers with a platform they can
trust,” said Anthony Bradley, Group Vice President of Research. “We
saw a 50 percent increase in reviews published on the site since 2017, and
more reviews were published in the first half of 2018 than in the eight years
between 2008 and 2016. This validates that people now both contribute to and
rely on user reviews as resources to help each other make better purchasing
decisions,” he added.
The top-10 high-growth, trending software categories are:
• Graphic Design (591 percent growth)
• Presentation (533 percent growth)
• Network Security (463 percent growth)
• Web Conferencing (410 percent growth)
• Meeting Platforms (390 percent growth)
• Issue Tracking (298 percent growth)
• IT Service (295 percent growth)
• IT Service Management (295 percent growth)
• Website Builders (291 percent growth)
• Objectives and Key Results (290 percent growth)
The top-10 review categories are:
• Collaboration
• Project Management
• Task Management
• Customer Relationship Management
• Productivity
• File Sharing
• Billing and Invoicing
• Time Tracking
• Lead Management
• Accounting.
“Buying and selling trends are constantly changing. Vendors also
count on reviews to gain the trust of potential customers and stand out from
the competition,” explained Bradley. Customer opinions make the
software capabilities “real” for in-market buyers. In fact, they
bond with the product through other reviewers’ experiences. The study
identified six key takeaways on the vendor value of software user reviews and
how to use them in the sales process:
• Unbiased reviews help gain the trust of potential customers:
Because buyers recognize inherent bias from product sales teams, they actively
seek unbiased sources to balance their software analysis. In-market buyers
believe that finding the right company is just as critical as finding the
right software. Reputation and sustained delivery of quality products and
services matter.
• Third-party sites are considered more credible than a business’s
own site: Customers believe that reviews on most third-party sites—meaning,
beware of fake reviews sites—are more credible than reviews showcased
on a software vendor’s site. Software buyers view third-party sites as
more independent with nothing to gain from cherry-picking positive reviews
over reviews with negative feedback or low ratings.
• Detailed information about reviewers is necessary to confirm their
trustworthiness: Descriptive information provided along the purchasing
decision journey is another way to establish credibility in reviews. It doesn’t
mean requesting names or other personal information from reviewers, but it
does mean asking for detailed information concerning a reviewer’s experience
with the product. The more detail, the better.
• Showcase reviews that discuss specific problems in specific
industries: Specific details help prospects identify whether a product works
for people like them and businesses like theirs. Buyers tend to gravitate
toward reviewers within their industry who experience the same issues and
pain points. They must illustrate how it works and which problems it solves,
beyond whether it works well or not.
• Focus on showcasing recent reviews: Three out of four customers
think reviews are outdated if older than three months. Reviews should reflect
changes and updates, so make regular reviews acquisition a top priority.
• Having all positive reviews hurts more than it helps: Software
buyers are actively looking for trustworthiness signals. If they find only
positive reviews, it seems to be too good to be true and skepticism ensues.
The most effective reviews are balanced and cultivated by honest feedback
complete with pros and cons.
“Reviews are no longer a luxury or a nice-to-have add-on to brand
and product marketing; they’re a competitive necessity,” said
Bradley. The good news is that it’s not too late to get into the
reviews game, and businesses can leverage platforms such as Capterra as an
outlet for unbiased, trustworthy feedback to empower its users and prospects.
Learn More
For further facts, see www.capterra.com.
““Research shows that
software buyers count on reviews to help them make informed purchasing
decisions,” said Anthony Bradley, Group Vice President of Research,
Capterra, the market leader for most verified reviews available to software
purchasing decision makers. http://bit.ly/2xz8iWn”
On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)