The fact that someone else has given a review of the product is more important to online shoppers than both the price and factors like free shipping. This was revealed in a survey by our industry colleagues at Powerreviews. If there are no reviews, many consumers choose to forgo a purchase.
One important question our partners often ask is how many reviews are needed per product. Via Smartson, we have review programmes from 5-10 test pilots, up to the record of 10,000 participants in an assignment. Our customers often see a clear effect from 10–30 participants on e.g. cosmetics or occasional purchases, and this has become a bit of a starting point for our assignments in the Nordic region.
An interesting study on the subject of number
When Powerreviews asked over 6,500 online shoppers, 99.9 percent said they have read reviews at some point. Just over 60 percent said they always read the reviews, and one in three said they do it regularly. Today, reviews are one of the most important factors in influencing a purchase decision. They are more important than both price and free shipping.
Many companies have a high level of awareness of this and regularly collect customer reviews in order to use them in their marketing. But how many reviews are actually required? According to the study, more is always better. Exactly how many depends on the product or service that you sell, and the channels you use. Reviews are more important for occasional purchases, such as clothing, electronics, and home furnishings, rather than for grocery store purchases.
“A few reviews are enough for you to start noticing an effect”
Is there a magical boundary?
The ideal is more than 100 reviews. As many as 43 percent of consumers say they are more likely to buy the product if it has that many reviews. We also see that 64 percent believe that more than 1,000 reviews would influence them to make a purchase. However, the greatest impact seems to be if an item has more than 5,000 reviews. Customers who see that an item has that many reviews are three times more likely to make the purchase, compared to there being no reviews at all. Compared to 1-100 reviews, 5,000 reviews give a conversion boost of 122.1 percent.
No reviews – no sales?
The fact that there are no reviews is almost always a negative thing. The survey shows that 80 percent of consumers do not make a purchase if the product lacks reviews. This figure is even higher among people under the age of 40.
So, if you haven't started collecting reviews yet, now is the time to start. It may seem like a huge undertaking, especially if you start from scratch. But here’s the good news – just a few reviews are enough for you to start seeing the effect. In an analysis of over 1.5 million online products, Powerreviews found that products where visitors could see at least one review had a conversion rate of 76.7 percent, compared to those cases in which there were no reviews at all. Reading a single review can thus make a customer more confident in continuing to the purchase process.
Be careful of how you manage your reviews. In a study by Bright Local, more than every second person stated that they feel more positive towards companies that respond to their reviews.
Do you want to know more about how we can help you increase the number of reviews? Please fill out the form below.