According to Nielsen, “Social media is having an increasing impact on consumers’ purchasing decisions – in Asia Pacific, online product reviews are the third most trusted source of information when making purchase decisions, behind family and friends.
This is particularly so for purchases of consumer electronics, cosmetics and cars – products where consumers are most likely to base their purchase decisions on online product reviews. But not ever country shares the same way.”
Interestingly, research shows that Koreans are more likely to share positive product reviews via social channels. On the other end, the Chinese are more likely to share negative reviews.
These simple pie charts quickly identify the difficulty to penetrate or influence a country’s digital conversations. Admittedly, interpreting the data this way may be inaccurate, as the average product quality index in a country could be the factor that affects the tone of voices.
Product Quality Still Number One
Nonetheless, the rule of thumb is still to ensure quality are delivered to the consumers. Social media can help spur and influence conversations but it could only do so much if your product isn’t providing substance. In fact, Apple has shown the world that it is possible to be one of the most talked about brands without investing a single penny in social media. Its products are able to shake the world. People want to talk about them because Apple’s products instill excitement.
Without substance, whether your products are marketed to the Korean or Japanese market, no one with the right mind would give you a positive product review.
So, are your products providing quality? Think twice before investing resources on promotion channels.
