NEW YORK, NY — (Marketwire) — 01/07/13 — Trust is one of the central concepts in commerce; generally speaking, consumers do not wish to do business with merchants they do not trust, or with merchants who have lackluster reputations. If this is true of commerce in general, it is especially true of e-commerce; when there is no brick-and-mortar store to visit, but simply the transmission of credit card information over the Internet, then the need for trust becomes utterly paramount. Such is the premise of a recent article in Forbes, which highlights the key role of trust and online reputation in the field of e-commerce. The article and its conclusions have won the attention, and the affirmation, of ReputationChanger.com.
The company has responded to the Forbes article with a new statement, in which ReputationChanger.com CEO Cliff Stein sounds off on the sheer impact of online reputation. “More and more consumers are doing their shopping online, among e-merchants — and as social sites like Facebook continue to integrate retail shopping, the trend toward e-commerce will only continue to gain momentum,” notes Stein. “Even when consumers are not buying products from online merchants, they often use the Internet to do their research, and to ensure that they are getting high-quality, reputable products and services. All in all, then, online reputation is pivotal, for businesses of all kinds, and for e-merchants in particular.”
Online reputation may be important, but, according to Stein, it can also prove treacherous. “At any given moment, any business can find itself besieged by negative reviews or online defamation, and a single negative review or rumor of fraud is all it takes to sink that company-s reputation,” he explains. “Online defamation comes from disgruntled consumers, from angry ex-employees, and from dishonest business rivals — so no business is impervious to these reputation-damaging attacks.”
Stein goes on to say that the biggest mistake a business owner can make is undervaluing the impact of online reputation. ” the cases of countless businesses and brands, and what we have seen might shock you,” Stein says. “A bad reputation, stemming from a long negative review, can bring a business to ruin.”
Indeed, a negative online reputation typically leads to lost profits, to lost customers, and to a glut of bad reviews. “This is particularly true of online merchants,” offers Stein. “Say you are an online merchant, and a consumer Googles the name of your business. If the first thing to show up is an article about how you are a scam artist, defrauding customers and taking their money, then your business prospects are obviously going to shrink. No consumer wants to risk doing business with a company of such ill repute.”
The good news is that online reputation defense is very possible. Companies like ReputationChanger.com work to provide businesses and brands with positive online images. “What we seek to do is to suppress those harmful online listings, and highlight information that presents our client in a positive light,” explains Stein. “Our goal is to establish the client-s brand as a brand of choice and of prestige.”
ReputationChanger.com takes on cases of all kinds, helping businesses combat negative reviews, bounce back from PR mishaps, or simply establish themselves as stronger market forces. ” the needs of each client, and works to establish that client in the best light possible,” the CEO affirms. “We do it for Fortune 500 companies, brand new businesses, and everything in between.”
ABOUT:
Launched in 2009 by a team of online marketing and SEO professionals, ReputationChanger.com has established itself as the foremost name in online reputation monitoring, management, and repair. Providing services to businesses, brands, and individuals alike, the agency is zealous for giving companies and individuals control over how they are portrayed on the Web. ReputationChanger.com reviews the online reputation needs of countless clients, among them Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, individuals, and public officials.
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