MarketingVOX: JupiterResearch recently published four reports dealing with various aspects of consumer-created content, which is having an increasing affect on online businesses, it says.

"The power of the consumer's voice has never been stronger," David Daniels, vice-president and research director at JupiterResearch, said in a statement. "It is impacting consumer behavior and how companies operate. Smart marketers are not just reviewing consumer-created content, they are studying it and using it to develop strategies to grow their business."

Retailers gain market share through user-generated product ratings/reviews - resulting in a "winning trifecta" of increased loyalty, increased purchase frequency and reduced returns for online retailers, according to one of the four JupiterResearch reports, "Retail Marketing: Driving Sales Through Consumer-Created Content." Among the key findings, as summarized by Bazaarvoice:

Reviews are increasingly important to shoppers: The number of online buyers who cite customer ratings and reviews as the most useful shopping site feature has more than doubled from 2005 to 2006. User-generated ratings and reviews are now the second most important site feature behind search. Some 77 percent of online shoppers use consumer generated product reviews/ratings.

Reviews create loyalty and drive sales: Online shoppers who find user-generated product ratings and reviews useful spend more online than the average. Moreover, online buyers who write a lot of product reviews make up only 20 percent of the online shopping population but account for 32 percent of online sales.

Reviews tend to be positive: Some 60 percent of online shoppers provide feedback about a shopping experience, and they are more likely to give feedback about a positive experience than a negative one. Across all of Bazaarvoice clients, for example, 80 percent of product ratings are 4 or 5 stars out of 5.

Austin-based Bazaarvoice is cited by Jupiter as an example of the kind of ratings and reviews solutions that allow retailers "to take advantage of a great deal of vendor expertise, while retaining a good deal of flexibility in customizing the site experience to their individual needs." The company offers outsourced technology, community management services, analytics, and syndication to encourage and harness word of mouth marketing.