Why do consumers really choose one local business over another?
A December 2024 survey of 1,083 US adults revealed that while researching a local business, consumers looked for signals like an average rating of at least 4/5 (52%), reviews including photos (51%), and a lot of reviews (46%) to decide on one business over another.
But Gen Z (61%) and Millennials (53%) ranked a business having a lot of reviews as the #1 differentiating factor, followed by reviews with photos (60% and 48%, respectively).
How important are photos? Most consumers (92%) look at photos when reading reviews of a business at least sometimes, with two thirds (66%) saying they do this often or always. Gen Z (43%) and Millennials (39%) were most likely to say they always look at photos, compared to 28% of Gen X and 17% of Baby Boomers.
Consumers don’t always trust reviews
However, the survey also revealed that consumer trust in reviews varies, so businesses today need to maintain an active presence across multiple platforms and focus on generating quality, well-written reviews.
The most trustworthy platforms, according to consumers:
- Google Reviews
- Yelp
- Better Business Bureau
- TripAdvisor
Gen Z were most likely to trust Google Reviews most (42%) compared to just 20% of Boomers. Conversely, Boomers were most likely (28%) to say they trusted the BBB compared to just 5% of Gen Z.
It’s not just about the platform; consumers also want to see that a business has a lot of reviews. Ninety-five percent of consumers said they would likely trust a business that had a lot of online reviews compared to one that only has some reviews:
- 42% somewhat likely
- 34% very likely
- 19% completely likely
This was most prominent among Gen Z, 37% of which said they would be completely likely to trust a business that had a lot of online reviews.
As consumers become more inundated with reviews, they’re not just blindly trusting every business with a lot of reviews. What makes a consumer not trust a review?
- Appeared to be generated by AI (53%)
- Didn’t provide enough information or context (52%)
- Poorly written (47%)
- Excessively praised the business (34%) and the review
- Doesn’t include images or photos (26%)
Millennials (31%) and Gen Z (31%) were most likely to investigate whether a reviewer had written any other reviews, and mistrust reviews written by authors who had not reviewed any other businesses, compared to Boomers (17%) and Gen X (23%).
Boomers were most likely to mistrust reviews for being poorly written, with more than half (53%) saying this would make a review untrustworthy compared to 47% of Gen X, 38% of Millennials and 48% of Gen Z.
Gen Z were most likely to mistrust reviews without photos, with 44% saying a lack of photos would make a review untrustworthy (compared to just 18% of Boomers).
Online reviews with photos influence restaurant and order choices
It’s critical that restaurants have a comprehensive digital presence, with no clear single source of or type of information for consumers before they dine out.
More than one third (36%) of consumers would be most likely to look at menus to get a sense of food and prices. One in six (16%) would be most likely to read online reviews or ask friends and family for a recommendation.10% would look for a conveniently located restaurant. Nine percent would look at photos to get a sense of the food and atmosphere.
Millennials and Gen Z (19%) were most likely to read online reviews compared to just 14% of Boomers, 47% of whom were more likely to look at the menu first (compared to just 28% of Millennials and 30% of Gen Z).
Nearly half (46%) of consumers said they would not dine at a restaurant without reading reviews – with 30% saying they would read them or look at photos at the table while deciding what to order.
Gen Z was most likely to say they would look at reviews and/or photos while at the table to inform their order (44%) compared to 35% of Millennials, 27% of Gen X and 20% of Boomers. Gen Z was also least likely to say they would dine at a restaurant without reading any reviews (42%) compared to Boomers (60%), Gen X (54%) and Millennials (55%).
When it comes to images in reviews for a restaurant, consumers would be most influenced by:
- Photos of the food – 41%. Gen X (48%) was most likely to say this was important compared to 35% of Boomers, 41% of Millennials and 43% of Gen Z.
- Photos of the menu – 21%. Boomers were more likely to say this (28%) compared to Gen X (17%), Millennials (21%) and Gen Z (17%).
- Photos representing the restaurant’s level of cleanliness/hygiene – 19%. Women were more likely (23%) to say this was important than men (14%).
- Photos of the interior/atmosphere – 13%
Reviews, personal recommendations and pricing matter for local services
When it comes to local services, consumers were most likely to say they would rely on online reviews when selecting a business, with 31% saying they would be most likely to do this, followed by 21% who said they would ask family/friends for a recommendation and 21% who would look up services and pricing.
For images in reviews for a local service, people are most interested in seeing photos of the business’ services and pricing, with 44% saying this would most influence their decision.
Nearly a quarter (22%) would want to see before-and-after photos from customers. This was most important to Gen X (27%) and least important to Gen Z (14%).
One in five (20% would want to see photos of the business interior. This was most important to consumers earning at least $100,000 (29% vs. just 15% of those earning less than $50,000).
How Chatmeter can help
Because consumers are evaluating photos and reviews, Chatmeter’s recently launched two new features:
- AI-powered image analysis. Pulse Ai: Signals can now analyze photos in reviews and surface photos relevant to customer feedback trends–an industry first.
- New tools to increase reviews. Multi-location businesses can also now use Chatmeter’s Review Generation solution to generate a higher volume of customer reviews.
For more information, book a demo with Chatmeter here.