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Month: February 2022

Power Points

  • 64% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy a product with fewer, more recent reviews than if it has a higher volume of reviews published three or more months ago. This number is even higher – 69% – among Boomers. 

  • Over a third (38%) of consumers will not purchase a product if the only reviews available were published three months or more ago, including nearly half (44%) of Gen Z and 40% of Millennials.

  • 62% of consumers will not purchase a product if the only reviews available were published a year or more ago. This number is even higher – 66% – among Gen Z and Millennials.

97% of consumers consider review recency to be at least somewhat important when considering a purchase, according to our recent survey of more than 9,000 consumers and analysis of activity across 1.5MM+ ecommerce product pages on 1,200+ brand and retailer sites.

Review recency, or how recently a given review was published, matters a lot to consumers. Across the board, an overwhelming number of consumers told us they expect to see recent reviews for a product — or they’ll seek out an alternative from a competitor. If the only reviews available for a product were published three months ago or more, for example, 38% of consumers will explore a competitive product. If the only reviews are from one year ago, that percentage increases to 62%.

According to our analysis, review recency becomes even more important in certain situations. For example, 86% of shoppers feel that review recency is more important when considering a new product or brand they haven’t purchased before. And consumers value review recency most in categories like Consumer Electronics, Health and Beauty, and Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories.

This got us thinking: does review recency matter more to different subsets of consumers? More specifically, how do different generations value review recency? 

Read on as we share the answers to those questions, and proven best practices for ensuring your consumers find the reviews they’re looking for — no matter their age.

Survey Demographics

Gen Z
(1997-present)
3%
Millennials
(1981-1996)
35%
Gen X
(1965-1980)
51%
Baby Boomers
(1946-1964)
11%

Across Generations, Review Recency Tops Volume

As we mentioned earlier, nearly all (97%) of consumers consider review recency to be at least somewhat important, including 61% who consider it to be very important. While many consumers also value a high quantity of reviews, the majority of consumers told us that when forced to choose between the two, they would choose to see more recent reviews.

In fact, 64% of consumers told us that they would rather buy a product with fewer, but more recent, reviews than one with a higher number of reviews that were all three months or older. Overall, nearly twice as many consumers said that they value review recency over volume. 

Interestingly, the older the consumer, the more likely they are to value review recency over volume. At 69%, Boomers were the most likely to say that review recency is more important than review volume. At 57%, Gen Zers were 12 percentage points less likely to value review recency over volume. Gen Xers and Millennials landed somewhere in the middle, with 63% valuing review recency over volume.

The Importance of Recency vs Volume
Would you be more likely to buy a product with fewer reviews overall that are all written within the past three months over a product with more reviews but all written longer ago than the past three months?
Overall
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z

Without Recent Reviews, Younger Shoppers Are Likely to Shop Elsewhere

Review recency is so important to shoppers that it influences their purchasing behavior. If shoppers can’t find recent reviews for a product, they are more likely to consider a competitive product that has fresher content. 

We posed a hypothetical to consumers: If all the reviews on a product you are considering were published three months ago or more, how would that affect your purchasing behavior? Overall, roughly four in ten (38%) consumers said it would make them more likely to explore an alternative product. Only 21% said they would still buy the product.

Whether Consumers Consider Alternative Product if all Reviews are 3+ Months Old
If all reviews on a product you are considering buying were published THREE MONTHS AGO OR MORE, would that make you more likely to consider purchasing an alternative product from a competitor that has more recent reviews?
Overall
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z

A lack of recent reviews is most likely to drive comparison shopping among younger consumers. If the product they’re considering buying only has reviews from three months ago or more, nearly half (44%) of Gen Zers would explore an alternative from a competitor. Millennials were close behind, with 40% saying they would consider a competitive product.

Interestingly, despite being the generation most likely to value review recency over volume, Boomers were the least likely to explore an alternative product if the product they were considering only had reviews that were published three months ago or more. Even so, one-third of Boomers said they would consider a competitive product, a not-insignificant percentage. 

Generational Comparison: Most Consumers Would Pass up a Product if All Reviews Were a Year or Older

The older the reviews are, the more likely consumers are to go with a different product instead. When we asked consumers the same question, but increased the age of the reviews from three months to one year, the percentage of shoppers who would consider an alternative product from a competitor increased significantly across generations. 

Whether Consumers Consider Alternative Product if all Reviews are One Year Old+
If all reviews on a product you are considering buying were published ONE YEAR AGO OR MORE, would that make you more likely to consider purchasing an alternative product from a competitor that has more recent reviews?
Overall
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z

If all the reviews for a product were published one year ago or more, 62% of consumers (regardless of age) would explore an alternative product — a 63% increase from the 38% who said the same thing when the reviews were three months old. 

When we break it down by generation, a majority of every age group indicated that they would consider an alternative product, including Boomers. At 66%, Gen Z and Millennials were still the most likely to start comparison shopping if there weren’t any recent reviews for a product they were considering. 

Gen Xers experienced the largest increase in consumers who said they would look into a competitive product. 62% of Gen Xers said they would, a 63% increase from the 38% who said the same when the reviews were three months old. 

How Age of Reviews Affects Purchasing Behavior

When we compare both of these findings side by side, we see a clear relationship between the age of available reviews and a consumer’s likelihood to consider an alternative product from a competitor. The findings are undeniable: the older the available reviews are for a product, the more likely a consumer is to shop elsewhere.

Whether Consumers Consider Alternative Product if All Reviews Are 3+ Months Old vs. 1+ Years Old by Generation
Boomers
3 Months+
34%
1 Year +
52%
Gen X
3 Months+
38%
1 Year +
62%
Millennials
3 Months+
40%
1 Year +
66%
Gen Z
3 Months+
44%
1 Year +
66%

How to Consistently Generate Fresh Review Content: Three Tips for Brands and Retailers

In today’s competitive retail landscape, having recent reviews is no longer optional. It’s essential if brands and retailers want to convert more customers and avoid losing them to a competitor. How recent is recent enough? The vast majority (77%) of consumers expect to find reviews that were published within the last three months, including 44% who want to be able to find reviews written within the past month.

Based on these findings, we share our top three recommendations for brands and retailers below.

1. Know Your Users

Review recency and volume are both generally valued highly by consumers, and they both have a conversion impact. However, some generations care more about one over the other. So, if your brand caters primarily to one generation, make sure your review displays are sharing the information they’re looking for.

For example, if Boomers represent a majority of your customers, you need to prominently display the dates a review was written in a spot that’s easily noticeable alongside each review. You may also want to default your review display to sort by Most Recent, rather than Most Helpful. Here’s an example from Wander Beauty:

This health and beauty brand sorts reviews by recency, and lists the submission date first in the review details.

2. Consistently Drive New Review Content

To ensure shoppers always have recent reviews to read, brands and retailers must make it a priority to consistently generate new review content. There are dozens of ways to collect new reviews, but one of the best ways is to follow up with verified purchasers after they’ve bought something.

Send emails to your customers 7 to 21 days after their purchase and ask them to write a review. Include the products they purchased in the body of the email, and enable review collection from the email itself. Our research has found that nearly 80% of all review content is generated from email requests like these.

Personalize your post-purchase emails with the customer’s name and direct links to review the products they purchased. Make sure you ask for reviews on all products purchased to increase collection volumes.

If you need to augment organic collection methodologies, “Receipt. Review. Collect.” taps into receipt uploads from an army of 12 milllion consumers across multiple retailers and marketplaces (Amazon, Target, Kroger and Albertsons grocery stores and many many more) to generate a regular stream of review content from actual verified buyers.

3. Keep an Eye on Review KPIs

Some products invariably generate fewer reviews than other products. That’s why it’s so important to monitor your review KPIs for all of your products, especially overall review volume and the date of the most recent review. 

When the most recent review for a product passes the threshold of 90 days — or, ideally, 30 days — it’s time to implement a review generation campaign.

Promote review sweepstakes via email campaigns and social media.

While this article is about review recency specifically, make sure you do whatever you can to launch products with new reviews. Obviously, this is a little bit of a chicken and egg scenario so it’s easier said than done. Product sampling is one commonly used solution for this problem.

Don’t forget: When a shopper is exposed to a product page with 1 or more reviews, conversion lifts by 52.2%. Translation: it’s critical to launch new products with reviews.

New Reviews Never Get Old

No matter their age, all consumers prefer recent reviews — and the more recent, the better.  However, there are key generational differences in how consumers value review recency. By understanding these differences, brands and retailers can better serve their customers and win more sales.

Alyson Fischer

Alyson Fischer is our Product Marketing Manager, obsessed with using data-driven storytelling to deliver a best-in-class customer experience and inspire dynamic engagement across channels. When she’s not agonizing over writing this bio, you can find her exploring Chicago with her furry sidekick or watching a true crime documentary on Netflix.

What consumers look for in reviews, how these factors impact purchase behavior, and how they surface the content that meets their needs, according to a survey of more than 11,000 U.S. consumers.

Survey at a Glance:

Beyond the Basics: Key Information Shoppers Look for in Product Reviews is based on a survey of 11,165 consumers across the United States. Here’s a snapshot of our key findings. 

Consumers dive deep into review content.
  • 58% of consumers say a star rating alone isn’t as valuable as a star rating with an accompanying review.

  • 99% of shoppers look beyond basic summary information to read the actual review content at least sometimes; 88% do so regularly or always.

  • 62% of shoppers who spend $2,001+ per month always go beyond basic review information to read the content of reviews, compared to 41% of those who spend $1-$250 per month.

  • Top reasons consumers read raw content of reviews include learning about negative experiences (84%), use cases (78%), and performance claims (73%) and sizing information (70%).
When it comes to reviews, length matters.
  • 97% of shoppers actively seek out longer, more detailed reviews at least sometimes; 68% do so always or regularly. 

  • Categories where review length matters most: consumer electronics and appliances (86%), health and beauty (73%), clothing, shoes and accessories (71%), and home decor and home improvement (67%).
Shoppers value visual content.
  • 94% seek out visual content within reviews at least sometimes; 58% do so always or regularly.

  • User-generated visual content is important across all categories. But it’s especially impactful for clothing, shoes, and accessories (76%), home decor and home improvement (67%), consumer electronics and appliances (64%), and health and beauty (56%).

  • Nearly a quarter (24%) of Gen Z shoppers won’t purchase a product if there is no visual content from people who previously bought it.
Shoppers leverage myriad features to surface the most relevant review content.
  • 77% of shoppers find it useful to be able to filter reviews based on different factors (ie star rating, reviewer demographics, etc.).

  • 61% of consumers actively seek out one-star reviews.

  • Over half (55%) of consumers seek out reviews that have been voted or tagged as “helpful” by other shoppers; 73% of Gen Z shoppers do so. 

  • 72% find a review search feature to be useful.

Contents

Introduction
Who We Surveyed
Consumers Go Beyond the Basics
Shoppers Want Ratings AND Reviews
Review Length is Key
Poor Grammar Can Impact Trust
User-Generated Imagery is Essential
How Consumers Surface Relevant Content
5 Key Takeaways
Chapter 1

Introduction

The Power of Reviews is Clear

By now, one thing is crystal clear: consumers depend on reviews when shopping for just about anything. A whopping 99.9% consult this content when shopping online – and 57% do so when shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.

Not All Reviews are Created Equal

But not all reviews deliver the same amount of value to shoppers. While one review might provide rich, relevant insights that help shoppers make smart purchase decisions, another might leave them with more questions than answers.

What sets some reviews apart from the rest?

Shoppers Look for Multiple Factors When it Comes to Product Reviews

The reality is: consumers look for several factors when it comes to reviews. In our last report, we focused on two of those key factors: recency (in other words, how recently a review was written) and volume (how many reviews are available for a given product).

When it Comes to Reviews, Quality is Key

In this report, we zero in on yet another top factor that matters to shoppers: review content quality. In other words: specifically what type of review content leads shoppers to follow through on purchasing a product.

And as it turns out, there are many elements to consider. 

In this report, we’ll share key findings from our latest survey. We’ll explore:

  • The importance of review quality
  • What shoppers look for in review content
  • How the absence (or presence) of certain elements impacts purchase behavior
  • How shoppers engage with reviews to find the content that fits their needs

Start Collecting and Displaying Better Quality Reviews

Based on our findings, we’ll also share tips for generating higher quality reviews that meet the standards of modern shoppers, as well as best practices for displaying this content in a way that satisfies shoppers – and boosts conversion. 

Back to Contents
Chapter 2

Who We Surveyed

This research is based on a survey conducted in February 2022 of 11,165 US consumers. Here’s a closer look at who we surveyed.

Generations

Gen Z
(1997-present)
2%
Millennials
(1981-1996)
30%
Gen X
(1965-1980)
45%
Baby Boomers
(1946-1964)
23%

Household Income

Average Monthly Online Spend

Back to Contents
Chapter 3

When it Comes to Reviews, Consumers Go Beyond the Basics

Today, nearly all shoppers turn to reviews when shopping online – and over half (57%) do so when shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. But just how deeply are consumers diving into the content of reviews?

Most Consumers Look Beyond Basic Information

Basic information – such as the number of reviews and average star rating for a given product – is a great starting point for consumers looking for feedback from others like them. But when browsing reviews, nearly all shoppers (99%) look beyond this basic information and read the actual review content at least sometimes. 88% do so regularly or always.

Of note, younger consumers are more likely to indicate they always go deeper. 63% of Gen Z shoppers and 52% of Millennials always read the content of reviews, compared to 45% of Gen X’ers and 39% of Boomers.

The Vast Majority of Consumers Go Beyond the Basics and Read the Actual Review Content
When you read product reviews, how often do you look beyond the basic information (i.e. review volume count, review date and average star rating) to dig deeper and read the actual review content?
Overall
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z

Bigger Spenders Read Review Content in More Detail

Interestingly, the greater the monthly online spend of a shopper, the more likely they are to dive deep into review content. 62% of shoppers who spend $2,001+ per month always go beyond basic review information to read the content of reviews, compared to 41% of those who spend $1-$250 per month. 

The Higher the Monthly Online Spend, the Greater the Percentage of Shoppers Who Always Read Review Content
When you read product reviews, how often do you look beyond the basic information (i.e. review volume count, review date and average star rating) to dig deeper and read the actual review content?
Average monthly spend: $0
Always
24%
Regularly
32%
Sometimes
35%
Never
9%
Average monthly spend: $1-$250
Always
40%
Regularly
44%
Sometimes
15%
Never
1%
Average monthly spend: $251-$500
Always
50%
Regularly
41%
Sometimes
8%
Never
1%
Average monthly spend: $501-$1,000
Always
54%
Regularly
40%
Sometimes
5%
Never
1%
Average monthly spend: $1,001-$2,000
Always
56%
Regularly
37%
Sometimes
6%
Never
1%
Average monthly spend: $2,000+
Always
62%
Regularly
30%
Sometimes
7%
Never
1%

Consumers Search for Wide Range of Information in Review Content

The vast majority of consumers dig deeper than the basics to read the actual content of reviews. But why? 

The top reason is to learn about negative experiences other consumers have had with a given product – so they can determine whether they can live with this “worst case scenario.” 84% of consumers indicate this is a reason they read the content of reviews.

78% of shoppers read reviews to ensure a product has been used in the same way they intend to use it, and 73% consume this content to check that the product performs as claimed by the manufacturing brand. 

Other top reasons for reading reviews are to get sizing information when shopping for clothing and shoes (70%), gauge long-term durability (64%), find photos of the product being used by a real-life shopper (57%), and determine value for money (57%).

Those Who Read Reviews do so to get Feedback on Many Topics
When you read reviews, what specifically are you looking for in the content of the reviews themselves?
To learn about bad experiences reported with the product
84%
That the product has been used in the same way I intend to use it
78%
To check the product performs as claimed by the manufacturing brand
73%
Sizing information (when shopping for clothing and shoes)
70%
Long-term durability
64%
Imagery or photos of the product from a real-life shopper
57%
To assess value for money
57%
That the review comes from someone who has used the product more than once
53%
That the person who writes the review is similar to me
22%

Consumers Value Various Review Details

A given review might include many details, including a title, written commentary, demographic information of the reviewer, and user-submitted visual content – among other things. Which of these details do shoppers value most?

Consumers place the highest value on visual content within reviews; 65% of shoppers indicate this content is useful. 59% of shoppers value longer, more descriptive reviews and 57% appreciate stories that relate to how they plan to use a given product. Here’s the full breakdown:

Consumers Value Many Aspects of Individual Reviews
Which of the following types of detail included within individual reviews do you find useful or would find useful when reading them?
A picture/image of the product from someone who has used it
65%
Longer, more descriptive reviews
59%
Stories and accounts that relate to and are consistent with how you intend to use the product
57%
Aggregated pros and cons pulled from all the reviews submitted
54%
“Most positive review” vs “most negative review” pulled from all reviews submitted
45%
The tag/badge signifying how the reviewer obtained the product
42%
A video of the product from someone who has used it
36%
Demographic profile information
19%
Longer, more descriptive title
17%
Back to Contents
Chapter 4

Shoppers Want Ratings AND Reviews

Star ratings are one indicator of quality. But ratings only tell one part of the story. Modern consumers want to understand the “why” behind a specific rating. 

Ratings Alone Aren’t as Valuable as Reviews

Today, some retailers, including Amazon, allow shoppers to submit a star rating for a product – without an accompanying written review. This is a quick process, and there’s no doubt it enables retailers to amass a high volume of ratings quickly. 

Our previous research found that star ratings are one of the top factors consumers consider when reading reviews. But our most recent survey found that on their own, they’re often not enough. 58% of consumers indicate a star rating alone isn’t as valuable as a star rating accompanied by a written review.

Standalone Ratings aren’t as Valuable as Ratings Accompanied by Reviews
Increasingly, retailers like Amazon are enabling consumers to leave star ratings on a product without requiring them to write an accompanying review to go with it. Do you find this content as valuable as ratings accompanied by reviews?
Yes
42%
No
58%

A lack of written reviews to accompany star ratings is especially detrimental when a consumer is considering a new product or brand. Over half (55%) of consumers indicate they’d be less likely to buy a new (or new to them) product or brand if there were star ratings – but no written reviews alongside those ratings. 

This isn’t surprising. Consumers take a risk when purchasing a product or brand they have no experience with. Star ratings can certainly help boost their confidence. However, the real value lies in being able to read about the experiences of other consumers who have purchased and used the product.

Half of Consumers are Less Likely to Purchase a New Product/Brand if There are Only Ratings Available (and no Reviews)
Specifically for a product/brand you have never purchased before, would having only ratings available (as opposed to ratings & accompanying review content) make you LESS or MORE likely to purchase? Assume there are no reviews accompanying these ratings at all.
Overall
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z

Of note, younger consumers are more likely to be deterred by a lack of written reviews to accompany star ratings. 64% of Gen Z shoppers and 59% of Millennials are less likely to buy a new (or new to them) product if there aren’t written reviews to accompany ratings. In comparison, 53% of Gen X consumers and 54% of Boomers say this is the case.

Allowing consumers to submit ratings only can certainly increase your volume quickly – and this undoubtedly has some value. However, you should always aim to also collect written reviews too. Consumers value this content – especially when they’re branching out to new products and brands.

Back to Contents
Chapter 5

Review Length is a Key Consideration

It’s easy to assume that longer, more detailed reviews are more helpful than shorter ones. For example, a review that simply reads “great toy!” isn’t as helpful as one that elaborates on the great features of that toy – and why it is (or isn’t) a great fit for a specific type of child. 

But how often do consumers pay attention to review length? And are there certain circumstances when length is especially important? 

Review Length Matters

Nearly all consumers – 97% – actively seek out longer, more detailed reviews; 68% always or regularly do so. 

Review length and detail is especially important for younger shoppers. 81% of Gen Z’ers and 73% of Millennials always or regularly seek out reviews that are longer in length and contain more details. In comparison, 68% of Gen X’ers and 64% of Boomers seek out longer, more detailed reviews.

Consumers Seek Out Long, Detailed Reviews
When you read reviews, how often do you actively seek out reviews that are longer in length and contain more detail?
Overall
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z

In addition, the greater a consumer’s average online monthly spend, the more likely they are to always seek out longer, more detailed reviews. 39% of consumers who spend more than $2,001 online per month always seek out long, detailed reviews, compared to 25% of shoppers who spend $1-$250 online per month. 

Consumers Who Spend More Online are More Likely to Always Seek Out Long, Detailed Reviews
When you read reviews, how often do you actively seek out reviews that are longer in length and contain more detail?
Average monthly spend: $0
Always
24%
Regularly
32%
Sometimes
35%
Never
9%
Average monthly spend: $1-$250
Always
40%
Regularly
44%
Sometimes
15%
Never
1%
Average monthly spend: $251-$500
Always
50%
Regularly
41%
Sometimes
8%
Never
1%
Average monthly spend: $501-$1,000
Always
54%
Regularly
40%
Sometimes
5%
Never
1%
Average monthly spend: $1,001-$2,000
Always
56%
Regularly
37%
Sometimes
6%
Never
1%
Average monthly spend: $2,000+
Always
62%
Regularly
30%
Sometimes
7%
Never
1%

Consumers of all ages and spending levels are actively seeking out longer, more detailed reviews. And the presence of more detailed content helps them make better purchase decisions. Consider including prompts in your write-a-review form that encourage shoppers to include plenty of details in their reviews.

Review Length Matters Across Product Categories

Just about all consumers seek out longer, more detailed reviews. But does longer content matter more for certain product categories?

Length matters across a wide array of categories. However, there are certain categories where lengthy reviews are more commonly sought after.

Consumer electronics and appliances is the category that tops the list; 86% of consumers seek out longer, more detailed review content when purchasing these types of products. This makes perfect sense.

Electronics and appliances are typically higher priced items, and there’s risk involved with purchasing an expensive item. Reading detailed reviews helps those shopping for appliances and electronics understand how a given product has worked for real people. Then, they can better determine if the product is a good fit for them.

Other categories where review length is particularly important include health and beauty (73%), clothing, shoes, and accessories (71%) and home decor/home improvement (67%). It’s not surprising; products in these three categories are highly personal.

Consumers want to ensure a given product has worked well for others like them. For example, a consumer shopping for face cleanser wants to be sure a certain product works well for others with a similar skin type. And a consumer shopping for furniture may seek out detailed reviews for a dresser to ensure others have used it in a similar manner: for a nursery in a small apartment. 

While longer reviews are particularly important for certain product categories, it’s important to note that a significant portion of consumers seek out more detailed review content across all product categories. Be sure your shoppers can find detailed reviews, regardless of product category.

Consumers Who Spend More Online are More Likely to Always Seek Out Long, Detailed Reviews
When you read reviews, how often do you actively seek out reviews that are longer in length and contain more detail?
Consumer electronics/appliances
86%
Health and beauty
73%
Clothing, shoes and accessories
71%
Home decor and home improvement
67%
Pet
42%
Toys
38%
Baby
28%
Perishable products/groceries
27%
Dry goods/CPG (ie snacks, cereal, pantry)
26%
Back to Contents
Chapter 6

Poor Grammar Can Impact Trust

We know from previous research that nearly a third (32%) of consumers consider grammar and spelling when reading a review. How does poor grammar impact review quality? 

Poor Grammar Negatively Impacts Trust

Just over half (54%) of consumers say that incorrect grammar, punctuation or spelling causes them to question the validity of a review. Of note, older shoppers are more likely to find poor grammar a cause for concern. 57% of Boomers and 56% of Gen X’ers indicate that incorrect grammar, punctuation or spelling causes them to question the validity of a review, compared to 50% of both Millennials and Gen Z shoppers.

Poor Grammar Can Be a Cause for Concern
Does incorrect grammar, punctuation, or spelling cause you to question the validity of a review?
Overall
54%
Boomers
57%
Gen X
56%
Millennials
50%
Gen Z
50%

It’s important to remember that consumers value reviews because they offer authentic third-party guidance. An isolated spelling error isn’t going to have much of an impact, and in fact can even help promote the concept of authenticity. But too many grammatical issues is likely to have the opposite effect.

Back to Contents
Chapter 7

User-Generated Imagery Is Now Essential

Many brands and retailers allow consumers to submit photos or videos as part of a review. And as we mentioned previously, 57% of shoppers specifically seek out visual content submitted by other consumers within individual reviews.

But how often do consumers seek out user-generated visual content in reviews? And how does the presence (or absence) of this content in reviews impact purchase behavior? 

Most Consumers Seek out Visual Content within Reviews

Visual content – including photos and videos – can help consumers understand product features in a way text alone can’t. This is especially true when that visual content was taken by a real customer in real-life situations. User-generated content is authentic in a way brand content is not, and shoppers value it. 

In fact, the majority of consumers – 94% – seek out visual content within reviews at least sometimes. 58% do so always or regularly. 

Of note, younger shoppers are more likely to always seek out visual content in reviews, when compared to older shoppers. Nearly half (48%) of Gen Z’ers always seek out user-generated visual content in reviews and 35% of Millennials do so. In comparison, 20% of Gen X’ers and 12% of Boomers always seek out imagery within review content.

Consumers Frequently Seek Out User-Generated Visual Content in Reviews
How often do you seek out imagery/photos within review content?
Overall
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z

In addition, a higher monthly spend is correlated with an increased frequency of seeking out user-generated visual content. 35% of consumers who spend $2,000+ online each month always seek out visual content within reviews, compared to 20% of those who spend $250 or less monthly.

Consumers Who Spend More Online are More Likely to Always Seek Out Visual Content within Reviews
How often do you seek out imagery/photos within review content?
Average monthly spend: $0
Always
10%
Regularly
25%
Sometimes
44%
Never
21%
Average monthly spend: $1-$250
Always
20%
Regularly
32%
Sometimes
40%
Never
8%
Average monthly spend: $251-$500
Always
27%
Regularly
37%
Sometimes
32%
Never
4%
Average monthly spend: $501-$1,000
Always
26%
Regularly
37%
Sometimes
32%
Never
5%
Average monthly spend: $1,001-$2,000
Always
30%
Regularly
35%
Sometimes
32%
Never
3%
Average monthly spend: $2,000+
Always
35%
Regularly
32%
Sometimes
26%
Never
7%

The presence of authentic, user-generated visual content adds to the quality of a given review, and consumers of all ages and spending levels actively seek it out. Make it easy for your customers to submit photos or videos of your products “in the wild” – right alongside their written reviews. 

User-Generated Visual Content Matters Across Product Categories

Clearly, consumers seek out user-generated visual content within reviews. But are there certain circumstances when this content is particularly important?

As it turns out, consumers find it useful to find “real life” photos and videos across many product categories. However, there are some categories for which this content is particularly important.

Consumers Seek Out User-Generated Imagery for Many Product Types
Which of the following types of products do you seek or have you sought out imagery submitted by people who have bought the product?
Clothing, shoes, accessories
76%
Home decor, home improvement
67%
Consumer electronics and appliances
64%
Health and beauty
56%
Toys
34%
Pet
32%
Baby
26%
Dry goods, CPG
18%
Perishable products, grocery
18%

The Absence of User-Generated Visual Content Can Deter Some Shoppers

We know the majority of shoppers actively seek out user-generated visual content in reviews. What happens when they come up short?

12% of consumers indicate that if they can’t find photos of a product submitted by fellow consumers, they simply won’t buy it. This number is significantly higher – 24% – among Gen Z shoppers. 

Younger Shoppers are More Likely to Steer Clear of Products without User-Generated Content
If there is no imagery/photos from people who previously bought a product when browsing online, would you still buy it?
Overall
88%
Boomers
87%
Gen X
89%
Millennials
86%
Gen Z
76%

Although the absence of user-generated visual content won’t deter the majority of shoppers according to these numbers, its presence is proven to boost conversion. Our analysis of activity on 1.5MM online product pages from more than 1,200 brand and retailer sites found that there’s a 91.4% lift in conversion among site visitors who interact with user-generated photos and videos on a product page.

There’s a 91.4% lift in conversion among site visitors who interact with user generated photos and videos on a product page.

So if you’re not collecting and displaying visual content from your shoppers, you’re leaving money on the table. 

Back to Contents
Chapter 8

How Consumers Engage with Reviews to Surface Relevant Content

Most shoppers go beyond the basics and consume the actual content of reviews. And as we’ve explored, they do so to find many different types of information. 

However, consumers don’t read every single review available for a product to find what they need. Instead, they sift through reviews to find the content that’s most relevant to them. 

How do consumers navigate review displays to find what they’re looking for? Let’s explore. 

The Review Snapshot is a Jumping Off Point

Often, product pages on brand and retailer sites feature a display that summarizes all review content available for a given product. At a minimum, such a display typically includes the number of reviews available for a given product – as well as the overall star rating.

Sometimes, however, a display also pulls out specific trends and themes from reviews to give shoppers a snapshot of what they can expect from a given product.

Crocs product pages feature interactive image galleries and searchable reviews, along with specific ratings related to key words

When there are specific trends and themes pulled out of the review content as part of a review snapshot, 98% of consumers read it at least sometimes. 70% do so regularly or always. 

Gen Z shoppers are the group most likely to always interact with review snapshots that pull out common themes from reviews, if such a snapshot is available. 35% of Gen Z’ers always do so, compared to 26% of Millennials, 21% of Gen X’ers, and 20% of Boomers.

Shoppers Interact with Review Snapshots
If there are specific common trends and themes pulled out of the review content as part of the overall review display, how often do you read this for extra/more detailed information (examples may include pros/cons or more info on size or color)?
Overall
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z

If you’re not already, consider enhancing your overall review display to pull out trends from feedback shared in reviews. Consumers across age groups read these snapshots – and their presence can entice shoppers to learn more about a product. 

Most Consumers Filter Review Content

Some brands and retailers provide shoppers with the ability to filter reviews to quickly surface relevant content. For example, a health and beauty brand might allow shoppers to filter reviews by factors like skin type, age, skin tone, and whether the review includes visual content. 

Over three-quarters (77%) of shoppers find filtering options useful when browsing review content. This number is even higher among younger consumers. 86% of Gen Z’ers and 85% of Millennials think review filtering is useful. In comparison, 77% of Gen X’ers and 66% of Boomers find this capability useful.

The Majority of Consumers Value the Ability to Filter Reviews
Do you or would you find a filter option useful when browsing review content (e.g. to filter on a specific star rating etc.)?
Overall
77%
Boomers
66%
Gen X
77%
Millennials
85%
Gen Z
86%

Consumers Seek Out Negative Review Content

As we mentioned earlier, a top reason consumers read the content of reviews is to learn about negative experiences fellow consumers have had with a product – and then determine whether they can live with those “worst case scenarios.” 

How do they uncover these worst case scenarios? By reading negative reviews. In fact, 61% of consumers actively seek out one star reviews when consuming review content. 

Finding one-star reviews is especially important for younger consumers. 73% of Gen Z shoppers and 68% of Millennials seek out one-star reviews, compared to 59% of Gen X’ers and 53% of Boomers.

Consumers Across Generations Seek Out One-Star Reviews
Do you explicitly seek out 1-star reviews when searching review content?
Overall
61%
Boomers
53%
Gen X
59%
Millennials
68%
Gen Z
73%

In addition, those who spend more online are more likely to seek out one-star reviews. 71% of shoppers who spend $2,001 or more each month explicitly seek out one-star reviews, compared to 57% of those who spend between $1 and $250 monthly. 

Consumers Who Spend More Online are More Likely to Seek Out One-Star Reviews
Do you explicitly seek out 1-star reviews when searching review content?
Average monthly spend: $0
42%
Average monthly spend: $1-$250
57%
Average monthly spend: $251-$500
65%
Average monthly spend: $501-$1,000
65%
Average monthly spend: $1,000-$2,000
71%
Average monthly spend: $2,001+
71%

Consumers value negative reviews. If they’re not able to find any, it can raise their suspicions. In fact, 42% indicate they’re suspicious when a product has an average rating of five out of five. This number is even higher – 48% – among Gen Z consumers.

A Perfect Average Star Rating Raises Red Flags for Some Shoppers
Are you suspicious when you see a product has an average rating of 5 out of 5?
Overall
42%
Boomers
40%
Gen X
41%
Millennials
43%
Gen Z
48%

When it comes to reviews: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. Even the very best products can’t satisfy the needs of every single shopper, and consumers know it. Failing to display negative reviews for a product can make shoppers suspicious that you have something to hide. Again, authenticity is key.

Resist the temptation to delete negative reviews. This content helps shoppers make informed purchase decisions – and it shows them you’re a brand they can trust.

Helpful Votes are Valuable to Shoppers

Many brands and retailers give shoppers the ability to indicate when a review is helpful to them. For example, our friends at Ulta allow visitors to click a thumbs up icon to indicate a review was helpful in their purchase journey.

These same brands and retailers often let shoppers sort review content by helpfulness, which displays the content with the most helpful tags or votes at the top. 

Allowing shoppers to easily find reviews that their peers found helpful is a good move on the part of businesses. After all, 55% of consumers actively seek out reviews that have been voted or tagged as “helpful” by other shoppers. This number is significantly higher – 73% – among Gen Z shoppers. 

Shoppers Seek Out Reviews Voted as Helpful by Their Peers
Do you actively seek out reviews that have been voted or tagged as “helpful” by other shoppers?
Overall
55%
Boomers
55%
Gen X
52%
Millennials
59%
Gen Z
73%

Consider giving your site visitors the opportunity to indicate when a review was particularly helpful to them. This information will help future shoppers find the content they’re looking for – and make better purchase decisions. 

Search Features Enable Shoppers to Quickly Surface Relevant Review Content

Many customer-centric brands include a search feature on their review displays that allows shoppers to find reviews that speak to the things that matter most to them in their product search. For example, a consumer with sensitive skin may be considering a moisturizer. She wants to find out how the product has worked for others with a similar skin type. So she searches for “sensitive” and finds reviews written by others with sensitive skin. 

As it turns out, consumers appreciate the ability to easily search reviews for specific words or phrases. Nearly three-quarters (72%) find a search option useful when browsing review content. This number is especially high – 79% – among Gen Z and Millennial shoppers. 

Consumers Find a Review Search Option to be Useful
Do you find a search option useful when browsing review content (i.e. to enable you to search review content for a specific word or phrase)?
Overall
72%
Boomers
63%
Gen X
72%
Millennials
79%
Gen Z
79%

In addition, consumers who spend more online each month are more likely to value a review search option than those with lower monthly spending. 83% of those spending $2,001+ each month find a search feature useful, compared to 68% of consumers who spend $1-$250 monthly. 

Higher Spending Consumers are More Likely to Find a Review Search Option Useful
Do you find a search option useful when browsing review content (i.e. to enable you to search review content for a specific word or phrase)?
Average monthly spend: $0
49%
Average monthly spend: $1-$250
68%
Average monthly spend: $251-$500
76%
Average monthly spend: $501-$1,000
77%
Average monthly spend: $1,000-$2,000
81%
Average monthly spend: $2,001+
83%

A large portion of consumers find a review search feature useful. But how often do they actually use it, when it’s available? 

Nine in ten shoppers indicate they use a search option to search review content at least sometimes. And over half (56%) do so regularly or always. 

Interestingly, younger shoppers are more likely to always leverage the review search feature, when it’s available. 29% of Gen Z’ers and 20% of Millennials always use the search option to find more detailed information when reading reviews, compared to 16% of Gen X’ers and 13% of Boomers.

Shoppers Frequently Leverage the Review Search Feature, When it’s Available
If there’s a search option available to search review content, how often do you use it for extra/more detailed information (examples may include specific use cases or more info on size or color)?
Overall
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z

Clearly, shoppers are fans of the search feature of review displays. But what are some of the topics they’re searching for?

Product sizing and quality are two of the most common types of queries.

Shoppers Use Review Search to Surface Information on Many Topics
If there is a search option available, which of the following are examples of things you have, or would, search?
Size/dimensions of a product (i.e. for furniture, clothing, etc.)
74%
Quality
74%
Fit (clothing only)
70%
Specific feature or characteristic
67%
Color
34%

Consumers have grown accustomed to turning to Google to search for anything to quickly get relevant results. They want to be able to do the same thing with reviews.

If you’re not already, consider adding a search feature to your review display. It’ll make it easy for your shoppers to find the content more relevant to their needs – and it’ll boost conversion. Our recent analysis found that there’s a 202.9% conversion lift when visitors use the search feature in a review display!

The Source of a Review Impacts a Shoppers’ Perception of the Content

Product reviews come as a result of a handful of different interactions. For example, some purchase the product themselves while others may receive a product for free as part of a product sampling campaign. In order to maintain transparency and preserve trust, brands and retailers often add badges or tags to indicate who wrote a given review.

For example, it’s clear this review was written by someone who is verified as having purchased the product.

While the consumer who submitted this review is a verified buyer – and received an entry into a sweepstakes in exchange for their review.

87% of shoppers take note of these badges. And certain tags positively impact how shoppers perceive a given review.

Verified Buyer and Reviewer Badges Positively Impact Perception
Which of the following tags, if any, on review content POSITIVELY impact how you perceive that review content?
Verified buyer
63%
Verified reviewer
48%
Review submitted as part of a sampling campaign
29%
Review submitted as part of a sweepstakes campaign
12%
Staff reviewer
11%

For the sake of transparency, be sure to appropriately badge reviews. Doing so is an important way to preserve trust – and it can actually boost shoppers’ confidence in your review content.

Back to Contents
Chapter 9

Five Key Takeaways

Consumers read the content and details of reviews. And they look for many things when they do. It’s essential to make it as easy as possible for your shoppers to find what they’re looking for. If you don’t, they’re likely to pass up your brand for one that better meets their needs and expectations. 

Here are our top five takeaways from our latest survey.

One
Consumers Dive Deep into Review Content

Star ratings are a great starting point. But for most shoppers, they’re simply not enough. 

In fact, the vast majority of consumers – 99% – go beyond the basics and read the content of reviews. And 97% explicitly seek out longer, more detailed reviews. 

Of course, generating reviews is important. But make sure you’re getting plenty of detailed reviews. One way to do this is to add a review meter to your write-a-review form, which is essentially a green bar that grows as the consumer types. Some brands also include text letting shoppers know the length of the most helpful reviews.

In addition, consider including prompts in your write-a-review form that can help shoppers go beyond the basics – and get their creative juices flowing. For example, this form encourages review writers to include commentary about how they use the product, what they love about it, and what isn’t so great.

When asking for reviews post purchase, be sure to time the ask appropriately. You need to strike the balance between allowing shoppers the time to use the product sufficiently while being close enough to the purchase for it to be fresh in their mind. Here are some tips.

Two
User-Generated Visual Content is Incredibly Valuable to Shoppers

A top reason shoppers seek out reviews is to find photos from others like them, using the product in real life. What’s more, 94% seek out visual content within reviews at least sometimes. 

Be sure shoppers can find ample user-generated visual content. If you’re not already, start collecting photos and videos as part of your review generation processes. Shoppers should be able to submit imagery directly from their desktop, mobile device, or social media accounts. 

In addition, experiment to see if asking for photos and videos before or after a written review generates the best results. And, if visual content is a top priority, consider allowing shoppers to submit this content without an accompanying review.

Three
The Review Snapshot is the Launching Point for Many Shoppers

The review overview – or snapshot – is a shopper’s first exposure to review content on a product page. Some snapshots are basic, including simply an overall star rating and review content. However, others are more detailed, pulling out specific trends and themes from the review content itself.

When there’s a more detailed snapshot, 98% read it at least sometimes. And a detailed snapshot can entice shoppers to dig more into the content of reviews.

Consider enhancing your review snapshot to pull out trends from feedback shared in reviews, specific to your product category. This information can help shoppers determine if they should dig further – or take their search in a different direction.

For example, if you’re a clothing brand, you can pull in themes about size and fit.

And regardless of product type, you can pull in pros and cons, aggregated from reviews. 

Four
Consumers Sift Through Content to Find What’s Most Relevant to Them

Shoppers read the content of reviews to find feedback on many topics, including negative experiences, use cases, and quality – among others. But they’re not reading every single review that’s available. Instead, they use a variety of features and capabilities (when they’re available) to surface the content that’s most relevant to them.

Make it as easy as possible for shoppers to find what they’re looking for in reviews. For starters, allow them to filter content based on star rating; 61% of shoppers actively seek out one-star reviews. In addition, enable shoppers to filter content based on other factors that make sense for your brand. For example, this coffee brand allows site visitors to filter reviews based on whether the consumer who wrote the review typically drinks hot or iced coffee. 

In addition, add a search feature to your review display, allowing shoppers to easily uncover reviews that address the words and phrases they search for. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of shoppers (and 79% of Millennials and Gen Z’ers) find a search option to be useful when browsing reviews. 

Five
Ongoing Measurement and Optimization is Essential

Best practices are a great place to start when you’re looking to accelerate your review collection and create compelling UGC displays (here are some aggregated examples). However, each business is different. And there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy that works for all brands and retailers.

It’s essential to regularly measure the performance of your UGC program – both from a collection and display perceptive. With regular measurement, you can uncover opportunities to optimize your program – and yield even better results. 

Back to Contents

Let’s just cut to the chase: reviews are important.

But how important? 

Super important. Our recent survey of more than 6,500 online shoppers found that 99.9% read reviews at least sometimes; 57% do so when shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.

How Often Online Shoppers Read Reviews

In fact, reviews have grown to be the most important factor impacting purchase decisions, surpassing other important factors including price and free shipping. 

How many reviews is enough?

The power of reviews (see what we just did there?) is abundantly clear. By now, the majority of brands and retailers recognize the value of this content – and have started to collect and display reviews. Those that do are rewarded with more traffic, more conversion and sales, and a load of insights to improve products and customer experiences. 

But one of the most common questions we get is, “How many reviews do I need?”

The easy answer is, as many as possible. Think of reviews like cookies or cat videos. You can never have too many!

(above) Me searching for highly-rated cat videos.

But let’s be real: a vague answer like “as many as possible” isn’t exactly helpful when you’re determining your review generation goals. Sure, one is better than none. But what number will ensure you achieve maximum ROI from your efforts? 

Spoiler alert: there’s no one “magic” number of reviews to shoot for. That’s because the ideal number of reviews depends on a variety of factors, including product category and type, among others. 

Read on as we take a deep dive into how many reviews you need – as well as some tips for generating more of this conversion-boosting content. 

No Reviews = No Good

Let’s start by considering the worst case scenario. A shopper is considering a product, and it has no (zero, zilch, zip) reviews. What happens next? 

The answer here is obvious: the shopper is less likely to buy it. And our most recent research backs this claim. A staggering 80% of consumers indicate they’re less likely to buy a given product if it has no reviews. This number is even higher among Millennial and Gen Z shoppers.

Impact of No Reviews on Purchase Likelihood
If there are no ratings and reviews for a product, would you be less likely to buy it?
Overall
80%
Boomers
70%
Gen X
78%
Millennials
86%
Gen Z
90%

In case you need further proof that a lack of reviews deters shoppers (and sinks conversion rates), a previous survey found that 44% flat out won’t buy a product without reviews. Again, this number is even higher among younger shoppers. 49% of Gen Z’ers and 48% of Millennials will abandon a purchase if there are no reviews. 

If you’re not generating any reviews, you’re most assuredly losing prospective customers – and leaving a ton of money on the table. So what are you waiting for?

Having Some Reviews is Better Than Having None at All

Consumers depend on reviews, and a lack of them can hurt conversion rates. But if you’re just getting started with reviews, it can seem overwhelming to generate a high volume across your entire catalog.

Well, take comfort in the fact that generating even a few reviews is going to have a positive impact on conversion. Recently, we analyzed activity across 1.5MM+ ecommerce product pages on 1,200 brand and retailer sites and found there’s a 76.7% lift in conversion when visitors are exposed to at least one review, compared to those exposed to none.

Conversion Lift Relative to Number of Reviews Displayed
If there are no ratings and reviews for a product, would you be less likely to buy it?
0 Reviews
0%
1-100 Reviews
76.7%

Why the conversion lift? Because reading even a single review helps boost shopper confidence. And confident shoppers are more likely to convert. 

Consider a consumer shopping online for a new sofa. They don’t have the luxury of trying out their options prior to making a purchase. Of course, they read product descriptions and check out brand-supplied imagery to narrow down their options.

But the purpose of this content is to portray the product in the best light, and the consumer is concerned the product won’t live up to the hype. So they’re hesitant to buy it. As a next step, they seek out feedback from others like them by reading reviews.

Once they read reviews, they’re able to determine that other consumers find this option to be good quality and comfortable. So they confidently make the purchase.

Conversion rates increase when shoppers are exposed to even a single review. So does this mean you can generate just one review for each of your product catalogs and then call it a day? Not quite – if you want to see the largest ROI. 

More Reviews = More Impact on Conversion

OK, so we know consumers actively seek out reviews – and that even a single review can boost conversion.

But do shoppers care about the number of reviews available for a given product? And does quantity have an impact on conversion?

Consumers Pay Attention to Review Quantity

First things first: review quantity does indeed matter to shoppers. Our research found that 99% of consumers pay attention to the number of reviews available for a product, at least to some extent. 

So, how many reviews do shoppers want? In an ideal world, 43% indicate a given product should have more than 100 reviews.

Consumers Review Volume Expectations
What is the IDEAL number of reviews a product should have in your opinion?

However, consumers tell us that an especially high volume of reviews can have a big (and positive) impact on their likelihood of making a purchase. 64% of those we surveyed said they’re more likely to buy a product if it has 1,000+ reviews than if it has 100. And 54% are more likely to buy a product if it has 10,000+ reviews than if it has 1,000. 

A High Volume of Reviews Means Higher Conversion

Sure, shoppers say quantity matters. But does the volume of reviews actually impact the metric that matters most: conversion? In other words, is it worth the effort to continue to collect reviews, even after you’ve generated a decent amount across your catalog? 

Absolutely! Our analysis found that the more reviews a shopper is exposed to, the greater the impact on conversion. And the greatest impact is seen when the shopper is exposed to 5,000 or more reviews. 

Take a look at the chart below and you’ll see there’s a nearly 3X conversion lift when shoppers are exposed to 5,000+ reviews, compared to those exposed to none.

Conversion Lift Relative to Number of Reviews Displayed
0 Reviews Displayed
0%
1-100 Reviews Displayed
76.7%
101-250 Reviews Displayed
143.2%
251-500 Reviews Displayed
166.4%
501-1000 Reviews Displayed
172.1%
1001-5000 Reviews Displayed
224.7%
5000+ Reviews Displayed
292.6%

But how does the conversion rate of those exposed to 5,000+ reviews compare to those exposed to a much smaller volume (1-100) of reviews?

Again, this is a case of the more reviews, the merrier. There’s a 122.1% conversion lift among shoppers exposed to 5,000 or more reviews, compared to those exposed to between one and 100 reviews.

Conversion Lift Relative to Number of Reviews Displayed
1-100 Reviews Displayed
0%
101-250 Reviews Displayed
37.6%
251-500 Reviews Displayed
50.7%
501-1000 Reviews Displayed
54%
1001-5000 Reviews Displayed
83.7%
5000+ Reviews Displayed
122.1%

While More is More, But There’s No One-Size-Fits All “Ideal” Number of Reviews

When it comes to reviews, the general rule is “more is more.” You are not going to maximize potential sales without a healthy review presence.

However, it’s important to remember that the right number of reviews for achieving maximum ROI depends on a variety of factors.

These factors include product category (think toys vs apparel), product type (think new vs. older product), and sales channel – among many others.

For example, a shopper will likely pay more attention to review volume when purchasing a new (or new to them) product than they will when they buy a habitual product.

The resources you have at your disposal will also obviously have an impact. The more resources you have (be this budget, people or whatever), the more you’ll be able to focus on collecting reviews in higher volumes, quicker.

What’s important is that you make review collection a priority and then set realistic goals for you – whatever these may look like.

Perhaps you might want to analyze the review presence of your competitors, or maybe you want to take a look at norms on your main retail or marketplace sites. What would showing up where it’d be most impactful for you actually take?

Once you’ve figured out realistic but challenging targets, you’ll want to tap into some common tactics for achieving them…

6 Practical Pointers for Generating a High Volume of Reviews

When it comes to reviews, quantity matters – a lot. Consumers pay attention to the number of reviews available for a product, and a high volume is proven to have a large, positive impact on conversion. 

Of course, there’s no magic “one size fits all” recommendation of how many reviews you should have for your products. But one thing is clear: more is more. 

How can you generate a high volume of reviews that satisfies shoppers – and helps you achieve the biggest lift in conversion? Here are 6 tips.

1. Send Post Purchase Emails

A lot of shoppers are happy to write reviews – but they need to be asked to do so. The most effective way to do that is to send a post purchase email, asking them to review their recent purchases. In fact, research tells us that up to 90% of reviews are the result of a post purchase email.

Use a compelling subject line to entice shoppers to open the email. And be sure the email is easy to read from any device – with a clear call to action.

In addition, don’t give up if your first attempt doesn’t result in a review. Nearly a third of consumers (32%) say they need to be asked at least twice before they’ll contribute a review; be sure to send at least two post purchase emails.

Number of times consumers need to be asked for a rating/review

2. Employ a User-Friendly Write a Review Form

If a shopper runs into any trouble when submitting a review, they’re likely to abandon the process altogether. 

Simple and intuitive is the name of the game here. Make sure the entire process for writing a review is easy to complete from any device. And make it easy for shoppers to write reviews for multiple products from a single page, rather than navigating to a different page for each review. 

Crocs allows reviewers to click existing options for pros/cons, demographic information, and size/fit, or even add their own in order to generate detailed reviews with minimal effort.

3. Collect Reviews from Online and In-Store Shoppers Across Channels

Collecting reviews from your own direct-to-consumer channel is important. But your products are likely being purchased via retailers and marketplaces, too. So make sure you’re collecting reviews from online and in-store shoppers, regardless of where they buy your products.

One powerful way to do that is to leverage purchase history data from retailers and marketplaces that sell your products. By doing so, you can generate more verified reviews from real customers. 

For example, “Receipt. Review. Collect.” allows brands to tap into receipt uploads from 12 million consumers across multiple retailers and marketplaces to generate a steady stream of reviews from verified buyers. Tom’s of Maine, a personal care brand, was able to grow their review volume by 18,600% in just 21 days as a result of “Receipt. Review. Collect” program. Learn more about how it works.

4. Offer an Incentive

For some shoppers, a great experience is enough of a motivator to write a review. But sweetening the deal with the right incentive can increase the volume of reviews you collect. After all, a recent survey found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of consumers indicate they’d be motivated to write a review if they were offered an incentive in return.

There are a number of different incentives that can help boost the volume of reviews you collect – including loyalty points and entry into a sweepstakes. But one stands above the others: free samples. 

91% of consumers say they’d be motivated to write a review if they received a product free of charge. What’s more, we’ve found that brands and retailers that partner with PowerReviews experience an average response rate of 86%. In other words, 86% of those who receive a free sample go on to write a review. Clearly, product sampling can be a great way to generate a high volume of reviews – quickly. 

Incentives Leading to Review Submission
If there are no ratings and reviews for a product, would you be less likely to buy it?
Loyalty points with store or brand
59%
Discounts with store or brand
67%
Receiving a product before it's publicly available
85%
Receiving a product free of charge
91%

5. Syndicate Content Across Channels

It’s important to generate a high volume of reviews to boost conversion on your own dot com. But if you’re a brand, you probably also sell your products through other channels – such as retail partners and Amazon. It’s critical that shoppers can find plenty of review content for your products, wherever they shop for them.

Your ratings and reviews partner should make it easy for you to share – or syndicate – your review content to your key retail partners and Amazon. So be sure to ask them about it. 

6. Measure and Optimize to Boost Conversion

It’s important to continuously measure the success of your review collection efforts. Otherwise, it’s impossible to see what’s working well – and what’s not. You can then use these insights to improve your collection efforts. 

For example, if your collection rate isn’t as high as you’d hoped, you can make data-based optimizations to your write-a-review form – and then measure to see how (or whether) this impacts your collection rates.

It’s Time to Prioritize Review Volume

Review volume matters to consumers. And a high volume of reviews is proven to positively impact conversion rates – a lot. 

Make it a priority to collect a high volume of reviews across your product catalog. Schedule a demo with PowerReviews to see firsthand how we can help.

Alyson Fischer

Alyson Fischer is our Product Marketing Manager, obsessed with using data-driven storytelling to deliver a best-in-class customer experience and inspire dynamic engagement across channels. When she’s not agonizing over writing this bio, you can find her exploring Chicago with her furry sidekick or watching a true crime documentary on Netflix.

Power Points:

  • 97% of consumers consider review recency to be at least somewhat important when considering a purchase.

  • 86% of shoppers feel that review recency is more important when considering a product or brand they haven’t purchased before.  

  • Review recency is considered most important when shopping for products in the Consumer Electronics and Appliances, Health and Beauty, and Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories categories.

It’s not rocket science. To grow revenue, you need to either:

Get your existing customer to buy more, more often
- OR -
Acquire new customers

In a world where consumers have almost endless choices of where to purchase, the latter has become increasingly difficult, not to mention extremely expensive. 

If you want to capitalize on every dollar spent on acquisition, one of the best things you can do is to ensure you are constantly sourcing new reviews on your products so that there is always recent content for customers to reference. Without recent reviews, you’ll have a tough time convincing customers to try your product, according to our recent consumer survey of more than 9,000 consumers and analysis of activity across 1.5MM+ ecommerce product pages on 1,200+ brand and retailer sites.

86% of consumers told us they find review recency to be more important when considering a brand or product they haven’t purchased before. This makes sense, as there’s risk involved with purchasing a new or unknown brand or product. Fresh, relevant reviews help shoppers overcome that risk to make a confident purchase. 

According to McKinsey, 36% of Americans tried a new brand during the pandemic, marking an unprecedented shift in brand loyalties. The pandemic radically changed consumer shopping behavior, and statistics like these only demonstrate that consumers are more receptive than ever to try new brands.

However, it’s up to brands and retailers to win them over. According to our latest research, fresh reviews are essential to doing so. Read on as we explore the significance of these findings and share proven best practices for consistently generating fresh reviews — even for products you haven’t launched yet.

Recency Matters More for New or Unknown Brands or Products

Nearly all – 97% – of consumers consider review recency to be at least somewhat important when weighing a purchase decision, including 88% who say they always or regularly consider the recency of reviews. 

For new brands or products, review recency is even more important. Nearly nine in ten shoppers said that review recency matters more when they’re considering a brand or product they haven’t purchased before.

Recency Matters More for New or Unknown Brands or Products
For a brand or product you haven't purchased before, do you consider review recency to be even more important?

Clearly, review recency is a critical consideration for shoppers when considering a new product or brand. More recent reviews increase consumer confidence and likelihood to purchase. 54% of consumers say reading more recent reviews make them feel more confident about a purchase. 

When a brand or product doesn’t have recent reviews, on the other hand, it can actually make shoppers more likely to walk away. Four in ten (38%) of consumers say if a product only has reviews that were written three months ago or more, they would explore an alternative product from a competitor with more recent reviews.

Review Recency Is Important Across Categories

Across the board, consumers in our survey rated review recency as a critical consideration when making a purchase decision. However, review recency becomes more important when trying new brands or products in certain categories.

Importance of Review Recency Across Product Categories
When shopping for products in each of the following categories, is it more important to have recent reviews available?
Consumer Electronics and Appliances
95%
Health and Beauty
93%
Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories
90%
Home Improvement, Decor, and Furniture
86%
Pet Products
80%
Toys
80%
Perishable Products/Groceries
78%
Dry Goods/Consumer Packaged Goods
78%
Baby Products
73%

Consumers rated review recency as more important when shopping for products in the Consumer Electronics and Appliances (95%), Health and Beauty (93%), and Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories (90%) categories. 95% of consumers shopping for Consumer Electronics and Appliances said it was more important to have recent reviews available, while only 5% said it made no difference.

However, even in categories where review recency was considered less important, the majority of consumers said it was more important to have recent reviews. For example, seven in ten (73%) of consumers felt it was more important to have recent reviews available when considering Baby Products, and 78% said the same for Dry Goods or Consumer Packaged goods. 

The bottom line: No matter what type of product a shopper is looking for, they want to see recent reviews. To maximize conversions — and prevent losing shoppers to competitors — brands and retailers must consistently collect fresh reviews for all of their products.

7 Tips to Generate and Leverage Recent Reviews

Customers seek out recent reviews whenever they’re considering a new product or brand. To ensure reviews positively impact purchasing decisions, brands and retailers must implement strategies to consistently bring in a steady stream of fresh reviews, and make those reviews easy for customers to find.

Get started with the following best practices.

1. Follow Up Each Purchase with a Review Request

The best way to guarantee consistent review collection is to put it on auto-pilot. By following up with each customer to ask them to review their purchase, you can keep customers engaged and remind them to leave a review while the product is still top of mind.

Our research shows that 80% of all reviews come from an email request. Here’s an example from one PowerReviews client. Once they implemented post-purchase emails, their average monthly review numbers grew nearly tenfold.

A client’s review numbers surged after implementing post-purchase review requests in December 2020.

2. Share Product Samples to Generate Reviews for New Products

Conversion rates and reviews share a positive relationship — the more reviews a product has, the higher its conversion rate. Simply taking a product from 0 to 1 review can provide a 76.7% lift in conversion.

So, in order to maximize success, it’s essential that new products launch with reviews. Fortunately, this is possible to do with a product sampling campaign. Doing this kind of campaign prior to launch can make customers feel special, strengthening their loyalty to your brand. Plus, since they’ve already received a free product, they are more likely to write a review as a thank you.

Product sampling campaigns have a 86% review submission rate.

3. Run a Sweepstakes to Boost Review Numbers

Sweepstakes campaigns have equally high success rates, and can spin up fresh reviews for products with low review numbers. On average, PowerReviews clients see an 83% increase in review completion rates when they run a sweepstakes. 

The rules of a sweepstakes campaign are simple: each review a customer writes counts as an entry to win. One of our apparel clients saw a 290% increase in review collection in just 45 days thanks to this strategy!

Review sweepstakes campaigns encourage customers to write reviews in return for a chance to win a gift card or cash prize.

4. Incentivize Reviews With Your Loyalty Program

Some shoppers need a nudge to write a review. In fact, most do. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of consumers say they need an incentive to write a review. 

If you have a customer loyalty program, include review submission as a point-earning activity. If a customer can earn loyalty points each time they leave a review, they’ll be a lot more likely to write reviews.

Loyalty programs offer rewards points in exchange for submitting a review.

5. Make It Easy to Leave a Review

It may sound obvious, but the easier it is for customers to write a review, the more likely they are to actually do so. Ensure your review form is user-friendly, mobile-optimized, and easy for customers to fill out.

If you collect reviews via email, streamline the process even further by allowing customers to begin typing their review within the body of the email.

For orders with multiple products, invite customers to review everything in one fell swoop. When one PowerReviews customer implemented this feature, their review collection rates increased by 54% in the next month.

Customers can select a star rating and type their review in the body of the email.

6. Prioritize Recent Reviews on Your Product Page

The majority of consumers actively seek out recent reviews when considering a brand or product they haven’t purchased before. Make recent reviews easy to find with an optimized review display. Include the date the review was submitted in a prominent place alongside each review.

Always include the date a review was submitted next to the review.

In your Review Display, default reviews to sort by Most Recent. You can include a drop-down menu so consumers can choose a different way to sort, such as Most Helpful. However, review recency is a primary consideration for most consumers, so it should be prioritized.

6. Prioritize Recent Reviews on Your Product Page

The majority of consumers actively seek out recent reviews when considering a brand or product they haven’t purchased before. Make recent reviews easy to find with an optimized review display. Include the date the review was submitted in a prominent place alongside each review.

Recent reviews are essential to building consumer confidence and reducing their hesitation to purchase. Encourage conversions by prioritizing review collection efforts across your products and brands. Use post-purchase emails, sweepstakes, and sampling campaigns to ensure new reviews keep coming in, and optimize your review displays to make them easy for customers to find. 

Alyson Fischer

Alyson Fischer is our Product Marketing Manager, obsessed with using data-driven storytelling to deliver a best-in-class customer experience and inspire dynamic engagement across channels. When she’s not agonizing over writing this bio, you can find her exploring Chicago with her furry sidekick or watching a true crime documentary on Netflix.

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