It should be common sense, that good reliable information is critical when it comes to consumers and their decision making. But, what may be common to you and I, isn’t always common to others. And we surely cannot rely on people having good sense. So, it must be said very clearly; reliable and correct information is crucial to any businesses success.

Media Post reported that YP Marketing Solutions, along with Thrive Analytics and The Local Search Association recently unveiled a study exploring “The Why Before The Buy.” The study went in depth to find out the reasons why a consumer may choose one business over another.

The study showed that nearly half of consumers used secondary information such as testimonials, business information and photos about the product or service before purchasing. The study revealed that the more information you have out there the wider your casting net is and the better your chance is to attract attention and yield trust.

Yet on the other hand it is just as important to ensure consistency and reliability of that information. 33% of the consumers studied said that misinformation or inconsistent information was a major turn off. Holly Bowyer, vice president of portfolio marketing at YP said on this topic, “ If inconsistencies exist, consumers won’t even consider doing business with a company”. It ruins credibility.

However, there is one missing piece to this equation – visuals. Studies are showing that consumers are more likely to make a purchase based off of an image rather than text or placement. Magnus Linde, head of analytics at Sticky cited a study his company did which showed that strong imagery could sometimes trump placement and/or result listing. He wrote, “When it comes to gaining visibility in product listing, image matters.”

With the definition of information largely remaining the same, the way in which we all consume and are influenced by it is just starting to be understood. Studies like these and trends we’ve seen throughout our own campaigns will help bring the ambiguousness of information consumption and reaction into a more solidified and clearer reality. Something every advertiser, brand or media company should be striving to understand.