Why Reviews of Products by Bloggers Matter

Earlier today I went online to search for reviews of a specific oven range and fridge. I found a ton of reviews for the fridge online but nothing from a Blogger that I know or know of. Sure there were a ton of Amazon Reviews as well as Reviews on the Brand’s own website. The Amazon Reviews were very negative and the Reviews on the Brand’s website were positive for the most part. I wanted to find a review by someone that I knew was a real person and not just bashing the brand or a rep of the brand saying how amazing the product was.

Considering a Refrigerator and Oven Range are not cheap items I was hoping I could find a Blogger who had some experience with the product so that I could know for myself if the fridge was as bad as the Amazon Reviews claimed it is. It is one thing to go to the store and pick up a new $10 dog toy because you feel like it or to try a new brand of cereal because it looks interesting whether or not you read about them on your favorite blog. It does help I know I have purchased a new item because I happened to see it on the shelf and had just read a review of that product on a blog I came across. I have made recipes using a food product because a Blogger said it was superior to a similar product and guess what they were right. I have recommended an item to someone else because I saw a review of that item by a Blogger I trust.

My question is why aren’t there more reviews of higher end items? Yes they are more expensive then a $45 blender but the person making the purchase is going to be spending significantly more buying it. I am sure I am not the only person looking to buy big appliances. Thing break, a new house is purchase, you move into a rental home and need to get a washer and dryer it is true that you are not going to go out and purchase these items once a month and hopefully not once a year either if you are gong to spend $1,000 per item. You want to purchase something that will last, works the way it claims to work, and will not wake the neighborhood when in use. Unless of course you are looking into a new tv and speaker system and the idea is for the entire neighborhood to know you just got a new system.

Is the stove fun to cook breakfast on? Does the oven make the perfect roasted vegetables? Will my fish stay fresh in the fridge if I don’t use it the same day I buy it? Does the washing machine really get the stains out of children’s clothing? Will it fit the dog beds so that I don’t have to replace them when they get dirty? Which lawn mower is the easiest to maneuver for a new home owner? These are things regular every day people want to know before they purchase a big appliance.

Consumers today trust what Bloggers have to say a whole lot more then they trust a commercial or a review on the brand’s website. Which means brands should be turning to Bloggers to Review their big ticket items. I would be happy to write mulitple posts in exchange for the new fridge or oven range one on the day of installation and then a follow up a month later and then a year later to show they are still going strong. And I know other Bloggers would be interested in that exchange as well.