People want assurances for the quality of a product before they go on and click on the purchase button. In a world where online businesses are expanding rapidly, customer reviews are more crucial than ever. A positive review can make your products the talk of the town, while a negative one can cost you customers and money. We prepared these online reviews statistics to guide you through the process and show you how vital a component these are to influencing customers to complete a purchase. So let’s dive in.
Online Reviews Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- Nine out of 10 customers read reviews before making a purchase.
- Online shoppers read at least four product reviews before committing to a buy.
- Roughly 47% of customers post reviews each month.
- A survey shows that 63% of consumers never hear back from the company after a review.
- The conversion rates of products with reviews on the page are 3.5 higher.
- Customers claim that they are ready to spend 31% more on a product if it has excellent reviews.
- Negative reviews prompt 94% of surveyed customers to avoid a business.
General Online User Reviews Statistics
1. Nine out of 10 customers read reviews before making a purchase.
Statistics show that consumers trust online reviews a lot and most of them will read a few prior to making a purchase. Then, more than half of consumers consider review scores that don’t have the perfect look more ‘authentic’. Namely, six out of 10 customers will keep on exploring and researching products with a perfect five-star score.
(Oberlo)
2. 85% of consumers leave reviews to help other consumers or businesses.
Among consumers who write product reviews online, a majority do so to help others. 35% do it so that they inform others about their experience. Another 26% leave them to guide others on making an informed decision. Finally, 24% do it so that the business knows about their experience, good or bad. On the other hand, 15% don’t leave reviews, just read them.
(Podium)
3. 90% of women read online consumer reviews, compared to 88% of men.
Women tend to make more informed decisions and turn to reviews, although men are not that far behind. Online review usage statistics show that this depends, however, on the products category. So, for example, women are more likely to read online company reviews when buying cosmetics, clothes, or household appliances (36%, 32%, and 59%, respectively). On the other hand, men have an edge in review reading when buying cars (56%) or insurance (26%).
(Oberlo, Review Monitoring)
4. Electronics is the top category for reading reviews for both men and women.
Men, however, have a slight edge with 72% vs. 64% for women. Age-wise, it is the most popular review reading category for millennials (66%), boomers (71%), and seniors (68%).
(Review Monitoring)
5. 91% of those aged 18-34 trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Reviews on sites like TripAdvisor, Google Maps, Yelp, all play an important role in assisting customers before committing to purchase. Reading past experiences makes their choice much easier, or harder depending on the reviews. In confirmation of the claim that the majority of people, especially the younger look for scores before shopping, online review statistics show that 93% of customers decided on buying after reading reviews.
(Qualtrics)
6. Online shoppers read at least four product reviews before committing to a purchase.
Most consumers don’t stop at just one review when they are looking for items to buy online. Namely, 54.7% read four, before making a decision, and 44% read three or fewer. As for the number of reviews of businesses by consumers that make a product/service seem trustworthy, stats show that 26.8% of customers think that products having 12-50 reviews emanate more trust. Alternatively, only 5% of customers feel safe with the products that have 501-1,000 reviews.
(Oberlo)
7. Roughly 47% of customers post reviews each month.
Although not all customers leave a review after making a purchase, nearly half of them do. In fact, it’s common among all age groups, but younger generations tend to do it more often. Online reviews statistics show that 53% of users aged 25-34 review once per month. Further, 39% of those between 45 and 54 years old also post one review per month on average. However, 30% only of those 55-64 years old post monthly reviews.
(Oberlo)
8. 97% of consumers use online media to shop locally.
A recent study on online reviews shows that almost all consumers turn to the Internet for pretty much every commercial activity they’re about to undertake. Consumers use 7.9 different media sources on average when looking to buy products in their area. Among those surveyed, 90% use search engines, 48% stick to Internet Yellow Pages. Another 42% use comparison shopping sites, and finally 24% use vertical sites.
(Cision PR Newswire)
9. Roughly 80% of customers use mobile phones to source product reviews when inside a store, online review statistics show.
Customers don’t leave anything to chance, even when shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. So most of them search for different info about products, read reviews, compare prices or search for store locations on their mobiles even when out shopping “in the real world”.
(OuterBox)
10. A survey shows that 63.3% of consumers never hear back from the company after a review.
Consumers want to interact with the company and that’s the basic foundation of doing business. The problem is when brands don’t want to communicate back. According to online review statistics, two-thirds of customers never hear from the brand after a review.
(Review Trackers)
11. About 67% of people post reviews on Google.
Among other things, Google is a major review platform. Facebook is the runner-up with 7%, followed by Yelp with 2%. Other sites account for the remainder.
(Birdeye)
12. Retail leads the way in the number of review requests sent in 2020, with over 3,000 messages.
Retail is one of the industries that rely heavily on ecommerce, with this trend exacerbated by lockdowns and social distancing. In the US alone, in 2020 consumers spent a stunning $861.12 billion online, 44% up from 2019. Therefore, online retail rating plays a huge role in the sector’s marketer strategy. Statistics about online reviews indicate that after retail, healthcare and automotive industries send the most review requests (1,800 and 2,100).
(Birdeye)
The Importance of Online Reviews for Companies
13. 88% of small businesses actively keep an eye on their reputation rankings.
According to online reviews statistics, small businesses are not ignorant of the value the brand image has for everyday operations. Therefore, the majority monitor their online reputation on a quarterly basis. The most common tool used is social media (66%), followed by Google search results (57%), and review sites (42%).
(FindStack)
14. A company’s response to reviews changed the perception of 56% of customers.
How a company responds to online business reviews is what differentiates it in the eyes of the consumer. It’s what also influences customer retention rates. 21% of those surveyed said they are not sure of whether this changes their opinion of the company, while a small percentage (23%) stated it doesn’t.
(FindStack)
15. More than half of customers want brands to respond to their reviews in a week.
53.3% of customers give businesses approximately a week to reply to their feedback, online reviews statistics confirm. But addressing the review makes a difference not only for the customer who left it but also anyone who later comes to the page— 45% of consumers would more likely visit a business that responds to negative reviews.
(Review Trackers)
16. The conversion rates of products with reviews on the page are 3.5 higher.
If a business wants to fully exploit the value of online reviews, it should not rely on external pages alone. Incorporating the reviews in the company’s product pages has proven to be an excellent strategy to drive sales. Statistics show that product pages with reviews also experience 4.5 times more RPV (Revenue Per Visitor).
(Oberlo)
Positive Online Ratings and Reviews
17. Customers claim that they are ready to spend 31% more if the reviews for a product are excellent.
Reviews and a good online rating have a strong persuasion power on customers when they are deliberating on whether to buy a product. They also impact the amount of money a customer is willing to spend on the product. Online reviews statistics show that customers are more likely to pay by almost a third more if the reviews are good. Aside from spending habits, reviews are also important for SEO, especially for local businesses. One online reviews analysis found that mentioning location or keyword in a review bolsters your rankings in local search results.
(Global Reach)
18. Roughly 72% of consumers confirm that positive reviews positively impact their trust in local businesses.
Research confirms that customers trust reviews a lot when it comes to local businesses. As a result, 72% of people will take some form of action only after reading a positive review. 92% of users will trust a local company only if it has a minimum 4-star score.
(Invesp)
19. Around 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to buy a product if they read a trusted review.
Trusted reviews drive B2B purchase intentions. Online user reviews statistics show that when asked to buy a product before or after reading a trusted review, 92.4% of consumers said yes, while 5.5% were not sure. Just 2.1% said no.
(Learn Hub)
20. One out of five B2B companies utilizes reviews in their marketing strategies.
Despite the importance of every positive customer review, many companies are not exploiting this potential. Among those that do, 69.9% emphasize that their importance increased. Combined with those that confirm this hasn’t changed, we come to nearly 90%, our nine out of 10 companies that consider reviews important for their operations.
(Learn Hub)
21. Consumer goods and services receive 94% of positive reviews.
Online review usage statistics state that consumer goods and services are the most positively ranked segment. The finance branch has the same percentage of positive reviews (94%). Similarly, healthcare has 92%. On the other hand, transportation, property management, and hospitality have the highest number of negative ratings (28%, 22%, and 16%, respectively).
(Birdeye)
Negative Online Reviews Impact on Sales
22. Negative reviews have prompted 94% of customers to avoid a business.
Just because a brand ranks well on Google or has a solid base of followers on social media, it doesn’t mean it managed to get customers’ trust. In fact, if company reviews by customers are mostly negative, then consumers are likely to avoid it.
(Review Trackers)
23. Brands risk losing 22% of customers if their customers find just one negative piece of news.
Customers considering buying a product from a specific company could be swayed just by finding one article that consists of negative comments about the brand. Online reviews statistics are pretty staggering when it comes to more than one article. Namely, if, while searching for a brand, three negative articles pop up, the brand could potentially lose up to 59.2% of customers. Even a one-star star change in a rating can impact the business.
(Qualtrics)
24. Approximately 62% of customers don’t tolerate fake reviews.
Transparency is one of the key factors that every customer is looking for in the company whose product they purchase. Negative reviews are part of the business, but if the ecommerce owners apply censorship, this can damage sales. In fact, 62% of people won’t support brands that engage in this activity. In line with the fake online reviews statistics, the same percentage of customers believe fake comments should be removed.
(Oberlo)
25. Fake reviews cost the average American $125 per year.
User reviews that represent bought or fake testimonials are an issue customers have to deal with. But on top of being misleading, they often prompt customers to purchase poor quality products, and this translates into money lost.
(FindStack)
Conclusion
No matter what you do to improve your products and services, the truth is, customer reviews are there to back you up or bring you down, as evidenced by these statistics about online reviews. It’s up to you to use them to your advantage and drive the sales. Otherwise, the online reviews effects could involve permanent damage to your business. Therefore, make sure to respond to the reviews you receive and don’t ignore negative feedback.
Online Reviews FAQ
How many people trust a business more after reading positive online reviews?
According to statistics about online reviews, 91% of consumers read such feedback. Another 84% trust these reviews as if they have received personal recommendations. On top of that, 92% of B2B buyers will more likely purchase something after they have read a trusted review. Finally, the majority of people form an opinion about the product after reading one to six reviews.
What percentage of customers write reviews?
Approximately 5-10% of consumers leave reviews. While this might seem like a small number, it is still enough to impact sales — it is estimated to influence 20% of sales.
How much do online reviews affect sales?
Reviews on average drive about 20% of sales since customers prefer to shop from websites that have customer reviews. Online review statistics further show that online reviews impact the decision to buy something for over 93% of customers.
Do online reviews impact buying behavior?
The results of a recent study point to a link between the online purchase intention when there is a high ratio of positive reviews on the website. Then, another research indicates that as many as 86% of people are hesitant to do business with companies that have lots of or some negative reviews
Can online reviews be trusted?
Online reviews statistics show that 91% of people trust reviews as if they were personal recommendations. However, some research has shown that about 20% of all reviews are fake. Unfortunately, fake reviewing has become common and it creates the wrong image for customers about a product or a service. Therefore, it’s important to check the reviews from several sources.
