Yelp launched in Australia in 2012 and a year later had already attracted 1 million monthly active users. Whether it’s covering the frothiest latte or best dry cleaner in your neighbourhood, Yelp is a massive repository for online reviews and recommendations.

Aside from keeping users in the know, Yelp can also boost exposure and sales for SMEs, as this recent infographic from Merchant Warehouse shows.

A little help from your friends

Almost three quarters of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Further to this, 90 per cent of Yelp users report that positive reviews impact their company buying  choices, while 93 per cent of users who conduct research on Yelp make purchases from the businesses they look up.

Top yelpers

Restaurants are the most popular business type (78 per cent) searched for on Yelp. 

This is followed by Beauty and Spa (65 per cent), Food (63 per cent) and Nightlife (60 per cent).

Pay to play

According to the survey, small businesses with a Yelp account experienced on average an US$8000 increase in annual revenue.

Small businesses that advertised with Yelp saw this increase to US$23,000 on average.

It’s in the stars

Yelp’s rating system consists of stars, and every little bit helps.

A restaurant’s chances of selling out during peak dining periods jumps from 13 per cent to 34 per cent when it increases its Yelp rating from three to three and a half stars.

This figures jumps to 54 per cent with a restaurant has four stars. 

How users decide

When deciding where to shop, most consumers base their choices on text reviews (44 per cent).

This is followed by business ratings (26 per cent) and quantity of reviews (17 per cent).

To find out more visit merchantwarehouse.com.

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