65 years ago, “Katz and Lazarsfeld” conducted  research on the ‘ Part Played by People in the Flow of Mass Communications’, and published it in the book, ‘Personal Influence’. This research showed, among other things, that individuals prefer to listen and follow the opinions of people with whom they identified.

Several years earlier, Solomon Asch conducted the “Asch conformity experiment” which was a study that focused on agreement and peer pressure. This study  revealed that, on average, 32% of a group will mostly follow the opinions of the group, and that 75% will follow the opinion of the group at least once, even if this opinion is not the correct one.

Both these studies formed the theoretical foundations of  the creation of “online reviews” in the late 1990s.

In the past it was expected that the Mother of the house would have her kitchen cupboard full of Silvo herbs,  but the yellow crate of Heineken beers was in the shed ready to go, because it was generally accepted that beers were consumed at the sports club, not at home. So in keeping the beers in the shed there was an element of conformity to the accepted social norm of the time.

Today, the consumer still opts for the safe route chosen by most other consumers because that inspires the most confidence. For example, Amazon has proven that no less than 90% of their consumers do not buy products that receive less than 3 star reviews on its website.

The trend of online reviews provide consumers with a level of reassurance which enables them to easily align themselves with the opinion of other like-minded shoppers. After all, they are buyers of the same product.

Nowadays consumers have an overwhelming choice of consumer products to choose from. A salient detail is that faced with such choice, consumers are more likely to revert to a smaller selection of products or brands they trust.

For suppliers of consumer products to gain and maintain trust with consumers is no easy task, but to achieve it, field marketing can be the crucial differentiator. 

Dutch EFMP partner, PSfm, deploys their employees daily to influence consumer buying behavior and to gain trust by conveying a perfect brand experience. From in-store demonstrations to large-scale sample campaigns, attractive shop windows in the high streets and detailed displays on the shop floor, they work to influence buyers to  choose in favour of their clients’ brands.

For the last 25 years PSfm have been the trusted partner for many brands in The Netherlands, providing the necessary support to ensure that consumers feel confident about purchasing their  clients’ products. This, in turn, translates into positive consumer reviews, as PSfm have refined the art of making the consumer feel so  great about the brand or product they choose, that they are inclined to endorse the  product, and in this way, PSfm are able to generate  5 star reviews for their clients’ products.