Yes, online reviews do matter! 

A man goes online to find an affordable hotel to stay at during an upcoming trip to Las Vegas. He wants a hotel that is not only comfortable but also offers the quintessential Vegas experience—music, live performances and nightlife. He Googles “best hotels in Las Vegas.” Search results fill his screen. He clicks The Venetian Las Vegas, with 16,317 Google reviews and 25,929 reviews on TripAdvisor. He then reads the customer reviews and decides to book his stay!

This is basically how reviews have always worked. The concept of customer engagement remains the same. What has changed in today’s consumer culture is the way businesses connect with customers.

Welcome to web 2.0–induced customer engagement strategy: using online reviews to impress potential customers and create emotional connections that foster customer loyalty.