Instagram beats TripAdvisor for reviews as people trust pictures more than words

Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has enjoyed meteoric success. Statista reports that, as of June this year, the photo sharing site hit one billion monthly active users.

And now, as the Daily Telegraph discusses, the site is overtaking TripAdvisor as a source for restaurant reviews. According to chefs and influencers, its growing popularity is down to the fact that customers prefer looking at pictures to reading text.

Due to concerns about the prominence of fake reviews, many consumers do not trust the restaurant reviewing site. But through Instagram, users can see inside the restaurant and the food being served for themselves.

One feature of Instagram that users find particularly useful is geotagging, which lets you look at all the posts tagged in the restaurant. Geo Tags also enable customers to discover new restaurants and get off the beaten track, whereas TripAdvisor provides information on the most popular restaurants in a particular area.

Clerkenwell Boy, an anonymous food reviewer with more than 180,000 followers, posts the majority of his food reviews on Instagram.

While he does use TripAdvisor "to sort worst reviews to see what's the worst that can happen", he thinks Instagram is "a great way to get a sense of the vibe of a place and the most popular dishes to order. It also has the advantage of being really up to date."

What's more, TripAdvisor reviews don't always convey a lot of information. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Instagrammer Felicity Spector commented: "They're really badly written, they don't say anything that's helpful. It's often about their journey time or something."

But that's not to say that there isn't still a place for TripAdvisor today.

A spokesman for the site said: "Comparing Instagram to TripAdvisor is like comparing apples to oranges. Millennials aren't using Instagram in the same way or for the same purpose as they use TripAdvisor, and often they are using both."

There's no denying that the online habits of consumers are changing. All brands must ensure that they have a strong online presence. If you're a social media guru looking for a new challenge talk to the team at Stopgap today.