Data from Bazaarvoice’s annual Shopper Experience Index, shows that nearly 78 per cent of shoppers say reviews directly influence their buying decisions, while more than half (55 per cent) admit they are unlikely to purchase a product without reviews or user-generated content.
Shoppers rely heavily on reviews for guidance, and the more evidence of past customer experiences, the greater the influence on their purchasing decisions. The data also shows that a quarter of consumers (25 per cent) won’t even consider a product credible until it has amassed between 10-25 reviews, while only 11 per cent are comfortable buying based on just 1-10 reviews. In addition to the quantity of reviews, the presence of user-generated images plays a pivotal role. Nearly 40 per cent of consumers prefer to see at least 5 to 10 photos before they feel confident about making a purchase.
The style and format of reviews also matters. Most shoppers (61 per cent) favour concise reviews that are 3-4 sentences long, while 55 per cent prefer user-generated videos that last between 15-30 seconds, offering quick and valuable insights without overwhelming detail. It’s clear that well-balanced, concise feedback is what resonates best with today’s consumer.
Even products that have earned a reputation for quality and reliability benefit from up-to-date reviews. Shoppers tend to trust recent feedback more than older testimonials, with 73 per cent of consumers finding newer reviews to be more reliable. In fact, 44 per cent of shoppers believe the most trustworthy reviews are those written in the last 1-3 months, followed by 30 per cent who prefer feedback from the last 3-6 months. Shoppers trust content from other shoppers—more than they trust a brand’s marketing message, highlighting the need for businesses to engage customers and encourage fresh reviews continually.
Little is said of the growing scepticism over the authenticity of reviews as AI-generated comments flood sites (that pay) with overly positive endorsements. This seems to be ever more the case with China-based vendors, including many whose products tend to be inferior and who try to bury their trading addresses if shown at all so as to dupe consumers into believing they have a base in the country they are targeting.
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