Report predicts growth for online reputation management

8th August 2008

Online reputation management is set to become more popular among UK firms this year, according to a report compiled by E-consultancy.

The Online Reputation and Buzz Monitoring Buyer's Guide predicted that the market for reputation monitoring services and tools will grow by 30 per cent to an estimated value of £60 million by the end of the year.

It cited the proliferation of social media websites and the improved functionality of technology to go deeper into such sites and pick up company mentions in blogs and firms as the main reasons behind this expansion.

"Increasing media fragmentation, changing consumer behaviour and the increasing breadth of consumer channels are all trends which make it harder for brands and individuals to track their online reputation," said E-consultancy's Linus Gregoriadis.

A recent Opinion Research study found that user-generated reviews can have a significant impact on consumers' decisions over whether to buy a certain product or not.