How important is it for a store to manage its online information?

In 2024, managing your digital presence is an essential element for businesses in any sector. BrightLocal's Local Business Discovery & Trust Report has revealed valuable details about consumer habits when it comes to researching local businesses and trusting the various online touchpoints.

Preferred platforms, such as Google and Google Maps, have proven to be essential sources of information, earning the trust of 66% and 45% of consumers respectively. In third place come company websites, which earn the trust of 36% of consumers, followed by Facebook.

The research highlights the crucial importance of the accuracy of business information online. Errors have a significant impact on consumer trust and can lead to lost customers. In fact, 62% of consumers would avoid buying from a business if they found incorrect information, while only just over a third would be willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

These errors, such as incorrect or incomplete information, a wrong address, or an incorrect phone number, can seriously damage a business's reputation. As the research reveals, in fact, finding a wrong address or phone number online would undermine the trust of 46% and 45% of consumers respectively, potentially leading them to abandon the purchase or turn to a competitor.

For the retail world in particular, the information that needs to be constantly verified and kept up to date is the most basic: where the store is located, how to contact it, and its opening hours. In most cases, in fact, when a user searches the web for a local retailer, their intent to visit the store and make a purchase is already high.

It is therefore essential for businesses to ensure the accuracy of their information through careful, regular management of their online touchpoints, in a context where this can make the difference between attracting customers or losing them to the competition.